


Wild Flowers Worth Knowing

by VelvetKaisoo



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Fluff and Humor, M/M, a plethora of other ships, ageswap, it's basically my version of a kaisoo Twilight sort of story, oh yeah it's ot12 btw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2019-07-18 13:48:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 60,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16119740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VelvetKaisoo/pseuds/VelvetKaisoo
Summary: For Kyungsoo, college was painfully normal - until it wasn't.





	1. Prologue & Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, after a particularly wacky conversation with a friend, I decided to write a sort of young-adult-supernatural-romance story. You know, those really cringey ones? Yeah, one of those, but with Kyungsoo as the main character instead of some basic brunette.  
> Upfront warnings: occasional cursing, as well as some gore related to vampires, blood, biting, death, etc but all fairly mild, I think. Also it's fairly american-ised, I'd assume, but I'm neither Korean nor American, so sorry if that brings forth any confusion.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

_~Prologue~_

 

Centuries later, as he watched his clanmate’s lifeless head roll along the laminated floor, Junmyeon was to think back to that distant summer evening when his life began down this path.

He ran. Through the dusty streets and around the abandoned carts. Passing through an emptying market, a wayward hand plucked a ripe apple from the stack yet to be sold. Small clouds of dirt and sand settled in his wake, his shoes skidding and agitating the ground as he sprinted.

Far passed the slums by now, the young man raced through alleys and side streets. He avoided the afternoon flocking of extravagantly dressed women and well-to-do gentlemen, searching for a specific household.

There, on the edge of the middle-class estates, stood a sure building. Its frontage was generous, but its dark edging and plain colour kept it unremarkable. At this property the peasant jumped the side gate and made his way through the servant’s entrance.

The house was familiarly barren, bar the kitchen, and so the young man made his way to the drawing room at the front of the house. There was a single armchair facing the bay window.

“I broughtcha an apple, Mr Lee.”

“How thoughtful, Suho. What else do you bring?” The man stood from the seat, accepting the fruit graciously from the younger, and began to walk to the kitchen. Suho followed.

“Taemin’s no better. Lady Yoona’s still not been seen, sir.”

“Has this Taemin child experienced any more strange symptoms?” The older man asked, and took a seat by the kettle, placing the fruit in a glass bowl. He gestured for the other to sit opposite him.

“One, sir. Beyond the cold skin and lack of hunger there’s… they’re saying he’s got bloodthirst, sir. He attacked the doctor.” Suho sat on the nearby stool, fiddling with the frayed thread on the hem of his tunick. With one glance from the gentleman, however, he stopped.

“That’s unfortunate news. Thank you, Suho.” Mr Lee smiled kindly at the younger, collecting a novel from the counter. “Shall we continue where we left off last time?”

“Mr Lee.” Suho fiddled with the thread again. “It’s my day of birth today…”

“Ah!” Mr Lee dropped the book and instead gripped the other’s shoulder firmly. “How could I forget? A wish of congratulations to you.”

“Thank you, sir. It’s just, you said that when… When I turned a score and five year…” This time he picked at a scab on his knuckle.

“Of course.” The tone turned more serious, the smile evaporating from the gentleman’s wrinkled face. “If you are still sure, follow me upstairs.”

Suho had never before been asked upstairs, nor had he ventured there uninvited. He assumed that one bedroom would have the bare necessities for Mr Lee to sleep, and that the rest would be empty. That would have followed the theme of the rest of the house. Though, thinking back on it, of course Mr Lee would have needed a workroom for his very particular practices.

And that was indeed what Suho found as the door to the master bedroom opened to show what could definitely not be described as a bedroom. Though there was a small cot to the side of the room, the majority of the room was used as a study. There was a desk drenched in paper and books, and a number of screens covered in writing and pinned parchment. What first grabbed Suho’s attention, however, was the trolley by the bed. It housed a copious number of tools. Some looked purely medical, whilst others seemed far too large and violent to do the human body anything but harm.

“You don’t have to do this, Suho.” Mr Lee comforted the hesitant man, patting him reassuringly on the back.

“This will make me the same as you, right, sir?” The question was punctuated with a short coughing fit. The elder wiped some of the coal off the young man’s dirty face with his clean handkerchief when it concluded.

“Yes. You will avoid illness and ageing. You shall remain in peak condition indefinitely.”

“Then, please sir, I beg you to continue.” Breaths came out haggard, and Suho was guided to the cot.

“Alright.” Mr Lee spoke quietly, and gave the younger a sad smile. “It won’t hurt a bit.”

The older man moved to the trolley, and picked up a syringe and a full vial. He plunged the needle in the vial, and the syringe chamber filled with a dark crimson.

“Listen, for this is important.” Mr Lee moved back to the younger, who watched with naive eyes, and pet his hair soothingly. For the time being, he held the needle out of view. “When you awake you will not be Suho. The life you knew, of pain and suffering, will be over.”

The hand that stroked his hair gently pulled, and the younger’s neck was exposed.

“You will show kindness to others as I have shown to you, and build your own clan from there.”

Suho’s breathing increased and the older could hear the quick rhythm of his heartbeat.

“Do not speak it aloud, but think hard now. Of your new name.”

The needle sunk into skin and the human’s eyes rolled back as he slowly lost consciousness. Mr Lee helped lie him down on the bed fully.

“I wonder, dear Suho, who you shall become...”

 

_~Chapter 1~_

 

“Soo, are you even my best friend right now?” Baekhyun looked thoroughly unimpressed, jabbing the end of his french fry at the other aggressively. “You're clearly _not_ my best friend, or you wouldn't be daydreaming about humping through winter with Kim ‘Fuckable’ Jongin for warmth in Antarctica while I'm trying to complain here.”

The accused jolted as he came crashing back to reality, almost knocking his open water bottle clean off the table. Baekhyun continued to watch with pursed lips as Kyungsoo muttered that Antarctica was entirely irrelevant while he wiped up the splashed liquid on his sleeve with a nearby napkin.

“I’m in a crisis: I have a family dinner coming up!” The melodramatic boy chewed hopelessly on the soggy fry Kyungsoo wasn’t sure the origin of. All the campus cafes and fooderies were closed by now, and the deserted surrounding tables in the food court area were proof enough.

“I'm sure it won't be as bad as you think. If you go into it with an open mindset-” He couldn't even finish the suggestion before it was overruled.

“Kyungsoo, you naive child, you don't know my family. Every time I see my aunt she gives me _sweat pads_.” Before the younger could even ask for clarification, Baekhyun was answering. “They're pads that stick on the armpits of shirts to absorb your sweat and stop pit stains.”

The shorter was about to point out how that was actually a rather useful gift when Baekhyun decided he wasn't finished.

“Every time I see her. When it isn't even a gift-giving family gathering. She just does it.” He added exasperatedly, checking the underarms of his sweater in paranoia. “I'm starting to think she's trying to tell me something.”

“Yeah, that totally sucks…” Kyungsoo responded dutifully, before changing the subject to what he’d been thinking about beforehand. “I wonder what the Kim’s family reunions are like.”

He much preferred talking about the popular, yet seemingly mysteries group of adoptive siblings than about Baekhyun’s aunt’s weird sweat-patch obsession.

“God, I don’t know. They probably sit around and talk about how cool, attractive and exclusive they all are.” The older scrunched up the empty paper bag after finishing his oily snack. “I still can’t believe you’re practically dating Jongin, and have never even introduced us. C’mon man, he’s the coolest guy on campus.”

“What! We’re not- It’s not like we’re a _thing_ , we’re just-”

“Actually no, Sehun and Krystal might be cooler. ‘Cause they have that whole twin thing going on which instantly doubles your popularity rating. Yeah, it's definitely them.” Baekhyun nodded his head definitively, wiping his hands on another napkin.

“No way, it's one hundred percent Jongin.” Kyungsoo argued, bouncing back from his previous embarrassment in record time.

“Nuh-uh, sorry kid. Twin telepathy wins.”

“It's Jongin.”

“Sehun!”

“Jongin!”

“Okay, what the hell is going on here?” Minseok called as he and Chanyeol walked over to the two. “I'm _this_ close to just straight up walking out on you.”

“Nothing’s going on, Kyungsoo’s just telling me his To-Do list.” Baekhyun smiled sweetly up at the two additions to the conversation.

Chanyeol ignored Baekhyun’s blatant lie and Kyungsoo’s crimson complexion, moving to drop his sports bag to the side as he sat down next to the sandy blonde.

“Thanks for waiting so long, guys, I was stuck with equipment clean-up duty.” The tall sportsmen wrapped an arm around the musical student, nuzzling affectionately in his hair for a moment.

“I definitely want to leave.” Minseok said, disgust clearly written on his face. “Actually, you have a council meeting right, Kyungsoo? Then I’m just gonna go, I don’t want to be left alone with those two.”

The shorter player picked up his personal equipment and began turning to leave.

“Nuh-uh! You promised me you’d tell me how private practice with Jongdae went!” Baekhyun yelled after the third year, effectively freezing him in place.

Kyungsoo never felt more at ease then when he sat with these three. Baekhyun was a musical student, much like Kyungsoo himself, and had a keen skill for getting under everyone’s skin. He had been Kyungsoo’s closest friend since middle school, though they were a year apart in age. When Kyungsoo enrolled in university the other students had been excited to meet the kid that Baekhyun apparently wouldn’t stop boasting about.

The other two members of their regular four were Chanyeol, an IT second year that had a goofy streak and a soft heart for the sometimes infuriating Baekhyun, and Minseok. The third year business student met the others through Chanyeol, as they were both on the college’s soccer team. He loved to be seen as a tough guy, but was secretly absolutely lovely.

“It’s already quarter to six, Kyung.” Chanyeol reminded the other, kicking him gently under the table to get his attention.

A surprised squawk escaped the first year as he stood abruptly, banging his knee on the tabletop during the process.

“Ow, I gotta go! See you guys tomorrow!”

Minseok helped the musician pack his stuff up, using it as an excuse to ignore Baekhyun’s pestering.

“Tell the council I think that all public displays of affection should be banned on campus.” The business major told the student representative, motioning with his head to Chanyeol who had begun kissing Baekhyun’s knuckles as the singer began whispering and giggling in the taller’s ear.

Kyungsoo sent the third year a silent prayer for good luck as he finally departed from the group.

Quickly running up the stairs to the next level, where he could walk across the bridge to the adjoining building, the first year hoped he wasn’t too late for the meeting. Along with the mild anxiety, though, Kyungsoo felt excitement. He had quickly made a few friends amongst the members of the student representative council, and he looked forward to seeing them again. _Especially Jongin._

The second year law student had been somewhat distant at first, but Kyungsoo was always able to coax people out of their shells. Jongin was just shy, and the nineteen year old assumed that the same could be said for the rest of the Kim family, though their reputation leant closer to snobbish and pretentious. Kyungsoo had never met the others, but Baekhyun had once spent a whole afternoon describing the rumours behind the unconventional family. Apparently there were four siblings: Jongin; Jongdae, who was a third year; and Sehun and Krystal, two first years who were also twins. They were all adopted by a pair of fathers, supposedly, and lived a cold and strict life. Personally, Kyungsoo didn’t think there was enough well-known information about them to warrant such a whirlwind of gossip, but Baekhyun claimed it was the mystery that made it so interesting. The second year music student had even gone as far as to request Kyungsoo ask Jongin himself about his family and home life, but the first year didn’t want to pry.

Walking through a corridor on the third floor, Kyungsoo quietly entered the conference room the weekly meetings were always held in. The first year sighed in relief as the filled space echoed multiple strings of conversation, as he didn’t have to draw attention to himself while he entered. The musician sat in the empty spot left for him, with the other first years. He sat between Yeri, who was an arts student through and through, and Hyunsik, who had a bad boy too-cool-for-school vibe, but somehow studied science. Kyungsoo liked that about him though, the biochem student was the embodiment of the phrase _‘don’t judge a book by its cover’._

“Hey, Soo,” Yeri said enthusiastically, smiling when the singer greeted her back. “You didn’t miss anything, we’ve not started yet.”

Kyungsoo thanked her, asking her about her installation art she had mentioned last time they spoke. As Yeri explained that she was worried about how long it was taking her to make, Kyungsoo glanced across the table, where the second years generally sat. His eyes met Jongin’s and the first year smiled. The law student smiled back, nodding his head a little in greeting.

“Pfft, you always say that.” Kyungsoo was startled by a rough voice to his left, making him break eye contact with the second year. “But then you do fuckin’ great anyway, and all the complaining was for nothing.”

Hyunsik sat back in his chair, the front two legs pushed up off the ground, and he sketched something in a notepad that Kyungsoo couldn’t see from his angle. As usual, he fed fuel to the fire of the short-haired female’s venting.

“That’s not true! My abstract portrait for first sem was complete bull, I have no idea how I’m going to face that tutor ever again.” Kyungsoo laughed at the two squabbling around him, enjoying the push and pull nature of their friendship, before the actual meeting started.

After making announcements and giving feedback year-by-year, the meeting finished an hour later. Kyungsoo knew that Baekhyun and the others would be long gone by then, but checked his phone just in case. Lo and behold, Baek had sent through a picture of his dinner, captioned _‘mmm! yummy crab, i bet you wish you had some rn’_ . And, just as Kyungsoo was going to reply with a whine, knowing that when he got back to his dorm he wasn’t going to have anything as nice as crab, his best friend sent another message. This time the photo was of the other side of the restaurant table, Chanyeol posing with his characteristic peace sign. The caption read: _‘mmm! yummy boyfriend! bet you wish you had that too rn. dont worry soo, ur big hunky joongin is right there~~’._ Kyungsoo felt his face flush slightly, sending an aggressive _‘u spelt jongin wrong. also i h8 u and ur boyfriend’_ back.

Pocketing the device, Kyungsoo looked around to see that the rush for the door had reduced to a mere trickle. Yeri had gone, and only two others still sat at the conference table with him. Jongin, and Hyunsik. The first year watched as Jongin packed up the book he had taken out during the meeting, wondering how he should start a conversation with the other. They were comfortable around each other, having spoken many times within the past few months, even having had lunch together. Alone. They were fairly close, Kyungsoo would say, but he still got butterflies when approaching the other. The nervousness almost seemed to get worse the closer they got, especially after that time at a college party that they had almost kissed. Well, it was more of a tipsy Kyungsoo falling in the lap of a too sober Jongin who had laughed it off and walked him home. He was both ridiculously embarrassed about it, and also extremely giddy that he’d gotten such a gentlemanly gesture from the older.

“Ey, Kyungsoo.” The musician was again roused from thinking about the law student. He prayed that Hyunsik, who had spoken, hadn’t noticed the dreamy look. “Can I show you something?”

Kyungsoo risked a glance at Jongin, to see him watching the two first years. He stood with his packed bag over his shoulder, as if he were waiting to speak to one of them. The butterflies were back. Kyungsoo should say something.

“You need anything, Kim?” Hyunsik beat the singer to it, his voice gruff and clipped. Kyungsoo had never seen them interact before, he didn’t think they even knew each other, but there definitely seemed to be some tension between the look they shared.

“No, I guess not.” Jongin spoke with a frown, but didn’t make a move to leave immediately. He turned to Kyungsoo, and the law major’s signature radiant smile bloomed across his face. “See you later, Kyungsoo.”

“Bye, Jongin!” Kyungsoo tried not to sound too desperate for the older’s absolute adoration, but wasn’t sure how successful that was when Hyunsik scoffed lightly and Jongin’s smile turned shy as he departed.

The first year didn’t realise his eyes trailed Jongin’s movement until the click of the door closing after him brought him back to reality. Wow, he was really getting easily distracted today.

“So, I was wondering if I could show you somethin’ I made...” Hyunsik’s tone was eons softer than it had been mere moments ago, and though the nineteen year old was surprised, he wanted to put the other’s mind at ease. He was really not one to judge, whatever it was.

“Of course, I’d love to,” Kyungsoo said, smiling in an attempt to eradicate any nervousness the other might’ve been feeling.

The science major turned his laptop to show a digital painting on the screen. Half the canvas showed a dark and twisting forest where a shadowy figure sat, feebly curled up by the base of a weeping willow, an arm outstretched to the other half of the picture. The right half encompassed a plethora of hues bursting off the screen, twirling around a pale boy who smiled contently. His eyes were closed and his dark locks danced amongst the bright tendrils, seemingly unaware of the frail boy who was trapped in the inky abyss close by.

Kyungsoo was in no way a visual artist, though he enjoyed visiting art galleries, but he could immediately tell the technical skill behind the image was impressive.

“Wow, Hyunsik. I had no idea you were so good at art.” Kyungsoo locked eyes with the fellow first year, who looked more timid than he’d ever seen him before. The musician giggled light-heartedly, knowing that Hyunsik was really committed to biology and chemistry, but also wanting to liven the other’s mood. “I’d almost say that you’re wasted in a bachelor of science.”

“I’ve got all the time in the world. I’ll be able to do both, I think.” The artist’s smile was tight, but he no longer seemed reserved. Kyungsoo nodded thoughtfully in response; to be able to merge two such different subjects into one job would be difficult, but Hyunsik seemed confident.

The first years seemed to run out of conversation, and the gaze of the amateur scientist felt heavy. Kyungsoo had a few more possible questions: _‘why show this to me, why not Yeri, an actual art student?’, ‘what was the inspiration?’, ‘why does the colourful boy look like…’,_ but decided, for once, not to ask.

“I should get going, it’s pretty late and all.” Kyungsoo began picking up his own things, having only used a single book to write down important announcements about the music faculty. “I really like your digital work, though, and I’m glad you showed me.”

Kyungsoo stood, hearing Hyunsik quickly shove his laptop into his bag as well, and turned to start leaving. He was really not looking forward to making dinner, and curse Baekhyun for making him want crab.

“Actually, Kyungsoo, I-argh!” Hyunsik grabbed the shorter’s shoulder, clearly about to ask him something before falling. Kyungsoo turned quickly, ready to help the other up and politely pretend the embarrassing trip had never happened, when he saw a dark red patch on the lower leg of Hyunsik’s jeans.

“Oh my God, you’re bleeding! Are you okay?” The nineteen year old dropped his backpack, crouching next to a wincing Hyunsik. The other first year tried to angle the wound away, but Kyungsoo stopped him by placing his hand on the other’s knee. There was no cut on the pant leg, so how... “What happened?”

“Uh, no big deal.” Hyunsik played the injury off, trying to get back up while grimacing, but was stopped by the shorter.

“No big deal? Look how much blood there is!” The singer fretted, noticing a white material peeking from under the denim at the other’s ankle. He quickly rolled up the leg of the jeans before the other could stop him, seeing a large wrap of padding covering the side of the taller’s calf. The gauze was itself completely bleed through, and Kyungsoo didn’t want to know just how bad the injury was underneath.

“Did you burst some stitches or something?” The question was followed by hesitant nodding. He seemed to be in real pain now, or was only now letting Kyungsoo see just how hurt he was. “Is there someone I can call to pick you up? I’d hate for you to have to get yourself home, when it’s getting dark outside.”

Fervent head shakes as Hyunsik grabbed Kyungsoo’s shoulder again. It was only then that the nineteen year old noticed how close he was to the other. He had to lean over the taller to reach his injured shin, as Hyunsik clearly didn’t want him to see it. He watched wide-eyed as the other first year stared intensely at the musician’s neck, his jaw clenching tightly.

“Kyungsoo…” The husky tone came from the back of the science major’s throat, and he leaned down, closer. Kyungsoo tried to move back, but the grip on his shoulder strengthened.

Kyungsoo was stunned into silence, unsure what was happening. Hyunsik was injured, but seemed immediately sidetracked by the shorter’s presence. Hyunsik frowned deeply, this time not from the pain of his leg. His jaw tensed again, as if fighting himself against saying something aloud. His eyes visibly darkened.

A warm hand clasped Kyungsoo’s pale jaw, and turned his face away.

“H-Hyunsik? Let go of me…” The grasp on his jaw grew tighter and the musician yelped in pain. The hold on both his shoulder and face kept him pinned down, pushing him flat on the ground. He struggled to get up from lying on the floor, but Hyunsik eclipsed the smaller body with his own, properly on top of the black-haired male.

“Ahhh-auuhh!” Kyungsoo grew more scared, what the hell was happening?! The grip on his jaw was so strong he couldn’t speak words, and his eyes began tearing up from the pain of being crushed under the significantly heavier and more muscled body of who he had thought was his friend. He could barely breathe, but continued to gurgle out noises of pain.

Why wasn’t Hyunsik getting off?!

He began properly thrashing about in the other’s hold, desperately needing to get the taller off him. Where had everyone else gone? Why had Jongin left? Why couldn’t he _breathe_?

“ _Stop. Moving._ ” The command was not a voice the the nineteen year old recognised, but definitely came from the other first year’s mouth. Hyunsik’s knee was now digging into his sternum, and Kyungsoo grunted and groaned. He squeezed his eyes shut, and kicked violently, trying to do something, _anything_ , to make it stop.

It was agony. He tried pushing Hyunsik’s face away from him with his right hand, the left one being pinned down by the taller’s other knee. The arm that had been pushing down Kyungsoo’s left shoulder grabbed his right hand and twisted it, making the smaller of the two cry out even louder.

Hyunsik leant over again, hovering directly over the side of his throat. Kyungsoo felt the heavy breath settle against his exposed skin there. He kept his eyes closed, and found no energy in himself to keep struggling. He felt light-headed and dizzy, a thick fog gathering over his consciousness. He still couldn’t breathe.

Hyunsik dived, and Kyungsoo swore he could feel the ghost of teeth on his skin.

“Kyungsoo!” A new, yet familiar, voice barged from the general direction Kyungsoo remembered the door being. “Get off him!”

A heavy groan resounded in the nineteen year old’s ear as the weight on top of him lifted off. The science major who had just been kicked in the side by the assailant rolled back over and _hissed_. Jongin, jaw tight and nostrils flaring, hauled the 177cm first year and shoved him against the nearest wall.

Hyunsik yelled in pain, his eyes pinched. He wasn’t stunned for long however, as he clawed at the arms that held his shirt collar. Jongin barely registered the attack, though, and pulled and pushed the younger back into the wall.

The plaster behind wheezed and groaned. Kyungsoo did the same, still splayed on the floor.

“Snap out of it!” Jongin growled, and roughly threw him towards the door. Hyunsik stumbled, but caught his balance on the table edge. His breath came quickly, and he hunched over. A steel stare was hooked on Kyungsoo, who held his chest and watched with wide eyes.

“Leave. _Now.”_ Jongin spoke with resolute authority, standing between the two first years.

Hyunsik flicked his gaze to the elder, his expression morphing from that of a predatory attacker to something akin to a frightened child. He opened his mouth and quickly closed it again. He looked down at the music major who still gulped in air with haggard breaths, but somehow managed to look like _he_ was the victim. Tears came quickly to his eyes, and he reached out to Kyungsoo still on the ground, almost as if he could physically take back his actions.

_“Hyunsik.”_

The science major looked back up at Jongin, his hand stuck mid-air. He nodded, and slowly moved his arm down. Jongin quickly bypassed Kyungsoo, picking up Hyunsik’s bag off the ground, and threw it at him. The jolt as Hyunsik caught the bag seemed to finally get through to him, as he nodded again.

“I’m sorry…” he whispered sincerely, his apology punctuated with a sniffle as he fled the room, not even bothering to close the door the whole way as he departed.

“Kyungsoo, are you okay?” Jongin quickly crouched next to the still sitting teenager. All hostility he had exhibited in front of Hyunsik dissipated, turning into concern. He looked over Kyungsoo’s body, and his hand ghosted over Kyungsoo’s sore jaw. “Can I see?”

Kyungsoo nodded to both questions, knowing the law student wanted to check his neck. He turned his head and felt Jongin’s warm fingertips brush over the naturally sensitive skin. He knew there was nothing there. Hyunsik hadn’t gotten to… _bite,_ or kiss, or whatever he had planned to do. What _had_ he planned to do?

“You’re okay now. You’re safe, Kyungsoo.” Jongin’s voice was even warmer than his hands, and he gave a gentle smile full of reassurance as he rubbed up and down the first year’s arm comfortingly.

“What the hell just happened?” Kyungsoo’s voice was unrecognisably hoarse. A strangled, broken thing that spoke volumes to the surfacing fear and shock that coursed through him. Hyunsik was… _nice_ … a _friend_ , even. Where had that come from? What had that been exactly?

Jongin pulled Kyungsoo into an embrace, patting down the back of his head. The singer hadn’t realised he was shaking until he wrapped his arms around the other. He closed his eyes, centering himself with the earthy and safe smell of Jongin. Kyungsoo was really lucky to have the elder in his life. He didn’t think he deserved it, but he was undoubtedly grateful for it. What would have happened if Jongin hadn’t come and saved him?

“He… He…” Kyungsoo wanted to get the words out, to understand them. Hoping that if he could explain what happened out loud, it would suddenly make sense to him.

“I know, shhh, I know,” Jongin whispered, his hand leaving the raven locks and rubbing circles on Kyungsoo’s back. “It’s over now, you’re okay.”

Both college students took a minute to calm down, and once Kyungsoo steadied his breathing, he realised his heart rate was fast for another reason entirely. He and Jongin had never hugged before, that drunken lap-falling _definitely_ not counting, and Kyungsoo felt the blood rush to his face.

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo said in a fluster, pulling back from the embrace suddenly, quickly thinking of something else to say. “I thought you left, how did you know to...?”

“Ahh,” Jongin replied sheepishly, running his hands through his brown hair. He pushed his fringe out of his eyes, only for the silky curtain to return less than a second later. “I thought I’d forgotten something and wanted to check when I heard you call out. You sure you’re okay?”

Kyungsoo was almost paralysed by the earnest and caring brown eyes that watched him. Jongin was so close that the younger could make out each minute crease around the taller’s small smile. God, was Jongin gorgeous. And damn, was Kyungsoo easily distracted or _what,_ now was hardly the time for such thoughts.

“Uh, mhmm!” Kyungsoo cleared his throat, trying to focus on anything other than the close proximity he shared with the other. He could feel Jongin’s body heat radiate off him, the first year’s arms prickling with goosebumps. He bit his lip.

“Let me help you up.” Jongin stood up swiftly, the air around the younger immediately feeling cold and empty. _Don’t be desperate,_ Kyungsoo told himself sternly, taking Jongin’s offered hand and standing himself.

He was a little wobbly on his feet, but that would be mostly from shock, the younger surmised. Jongin kept holding on, even after the shorter had found his balance. Kyungsoo watched their held hands, thinking that everything about it, from the differences in the complexions to the size, was perfect. _Or be super desperate, that works too._

Looking up from the grip they shared, the nineteen year old saw the deep scratches that Hyunsik must have left on Jongin’s otherwise unscarred arms. There were several sets of clawings, the red lines overlapping violently, covering up the golden hue beneath. A few spots were bleeding, and Kyungsoo immediately forgot his own problems.

“Woah, Jongin, those look painful,” the musician pointed out unhelpfully. The older of the two looked down to the wounds himself, as if not feeling them at all. He laughed in embarrassment, dropping Kyungsoo’s hand.

“Oh, they’re not too bad. I’ll be fine.” Jongin looked back up at the shorter, giving another reassuring smile. Kyungsoo, however, felt horrible. None of this was the second year’s fault, he’d just wanted to help someone, but had ended up with worse wounds than the music major himself.

“I’m sorry, I should clean them. Or-or get you a band-aid, at least. Let me-”

“No need, Kyungsoo. Really. Thank you, though.” Jongin’s smile increased, clearly endeared by the offer, but not wanting to make a fuss over the injury. He suddenly turned his head to the window behind him, as if struck by a thought before quickly looking back. “It’s pretty dark out, I’ll walk you home.”

Kyungsoo wanted to press further about the cuts along the taller’s forearm, but also _really_ just wanted to leave the room, hoping to never think about what happened again. So, when Jongin handed him his backpack from the ground, he graciously accepted it.

 _“Again.”_ This time Jongin had a mischievous glint to his eye and a cheeky grin as he looked down at the younger. Kyungsoo felt his face flush as it dawned on him what Jongin was referencing. Of course Jongin would remember that night, but the shorter had hoped he’d have more class than to bring it up.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Kyungsoo feigned ignorance. He swung his bag over his shoulder and walked out of the room with his head held high. The first year smiled as he heard Jongin laugh joyously behind him.

And, not for the first time, Kyungsoo was _so_ glad that Jongin was there.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd, whoops. Also --> use of Australian/British spelling.

A pressure on the center of his chest, a familiar face contorted in a snarl. The itch of his skin as it was pressed into the stiff carpet underneath, the dry scrape as a scream crawled out his throat. The figure, masked in shadows, opened its mouth wide. Sharp, pointed teeth protruded from the jaw, and Kyungsoo was stuck watching in awe.

In a surprising turn of events, the  _ thing _ began speaking. The voice started low and unintelligible, but soon raised in pitch, and spoke in a tongue Kyungsoo could understand.

“Ughhhhhcmon, wakey wakey eggs and bakey!”

The college student wobbled in his chair, and soon snapped his eyes open. With a jolt, he raised his head from the desk, only to find his musical theory textbook page glued to his face. He quickly ripped the paper off his cheek and wiped at the drool in the corner of his mouth.

“You’re a real class act, Soo.”

Squinting from the library’s bright lighting, Kyungsoo looked up to see a short male standing directly to his left. They had a hand on their hip, but a cheeky smile on their face. The first year yawned.

“You better have brought me actual eggs and bacon, Baek,” Kyungsoo greeted, stretching out his arms and stiff neck. Though quiet, libraries were really not the best place to nap.

“You’re so disrespectful when you’re tired. Where’s my happy-go-lucky, obedient little underclassman, huh?”

“I’m only two centimeters shorter than you, okay, I'm not  _ little _ . And if there’s no food I’m going to go right back to studying.” Kyungsoo closed his textbook, crossed his arms over it, and nestled his head on top.

“Studying, my ass!”

“There’s not much  _ there _ to study...” Kyungsoo mumbled, eyes closed.

“Ah! I take umbrage!” The second year acted scandalised for a mere moment, before starting to pack up the shorter’s stationary that was strewn across the tabletop. “Seriously, c’mon. It’s Wednesday, we said we’d go watch Channie and Min’s game.”

“You said  _ you’d _ go, I never made any promise.” Kyungsoo repositioned himself, turning his head to face away from the other.

“Ugh, please come. Don’t you want to support your friends? Don’t be mean, Soo.” Baekhyun begged, pushing the younger’s shoulder annoyingly. “Besides,  _ Jongin _ will be there.”

Kyungsoo had forgotten, but of course Jongin would be there. He was on the soccer team as well, after all. He and his older brother, Jongdae.

Mentioning the second year brought back all the memories from the previous evening. He’d spent the night trying to trick himself into thinking it had never happened, but Hyunsik had sent an immeasurable number of texts apologising and begging for forgiveness. Kyungsoo had ended up switching off his phone, not even taking the time to first message Baekhyun about the situation.

The first year sighed, finally moving to shove the textbook he was resting on in his backpack, as Baekhyun had already packed everything else of his.

The two best friends walked over to the sports grounds, and Kyungsoo was surprised to see so many people waiting to watch the game. It was just a practice match, the college team playing both sides. Nevertheless, the bleachers surrounding the rectangular field were nowhere near devoid of audience members.

“-And I’m not gonna lie, I’m kind of shitting myself. Why would the lecturer want to see me? Alone? But either way I’m gonna have to bolt back to the performing arts building at the end of the game.” Baekhyun spoke loudly, not even glancing at the younger as he looked for seats. Having found a good spot, he linked arms and dragged the other singer up the metal steps.

Kyungsoo made a low grunt to signal he was listening to the elder, looking around at the others who’d come to watch. The musician’s gaze stopped as he recognised Kim Sehun and Krystal, who were sitting together on the bleachers on the other side of the field. He had not spoken a single word to either of the two, as many hadn’t, but knew exactly who they were. That’s what happened when you were popular, he supposed.

Almost as soon as the first year fixated his stare on the pair, Sehun turned to face Kyungsoo. Their gazes locked and the music major felt like he was being burnt by the eye-contact. He gave an almost-smile, thinking that would be the polite thing to do when caught staring at a stranger, but Sehun seemed to increase his glare ten-fold. Kyungsoo immediately averted his eyes, unconsciously scooting closer to his best friend next to him. He understood that none of the Kim family were particularly friendly, but Jongin had never been outright rude when the first year had tried to talk to him. He had assumed the other siblings would be the same, but maybe some of them really were unapproachable.

“Ooh, look! Minseok looks like such a nerd with his socks pulled up like that.” Baekhyun pointed to the corner of the field where half the soccer club stood around in a huddle, the third year clearly recognisable between two taller players. “And ha! I knew Chan would need the white shorts washed. He totally owes me for saving his ass.”

Kyungsoo looked around the group of a dozen or so people clad in white. Not seeing the number eighty-eight, that Jongin had once told him was his, he looked to the other side of the field. There, another huddle took place, with this half of the club wearing pale blue uniforms to distinguish themselves. Jongin had his head down, arms around the players on either side of him.

The singer felt himself smile subconsciously at the sight of the older, though that turned to a frown as he looked at the exposed skin that wrapped around the other soccer players. The group was stationed on the corner of the field closest to where Kyungsoo and Baekhyun sat. They were close enough that Kyungsoo could clearly see what was on his arms. Or, what  _ wasn’t. _

The first year remembered the way thin red lines crawled up the second year’s forearms, how little droplets of blood had bloomed from particularly deep cuts. Though the law student had been dismissive of the injuries, Kyungsoo knew they would have taken at least a week to heal.

The singer squinted, not seeing any skin coloured bandages or any other signs of a possible cover-up job.

Kyungsoo quickly grabbed his phone from the bottom of his backpack, turning it on for the first time that day. There were twenty new messages in his group chat, which had been recently renamed as  _ “Chanyeol and the three dwarves” _ (he was going to have to change that), four emails, and seventeen texts from Hyunsik. He selected that conversation and quickly skimmed it.

_ ‘I’m sorry’ _

_ ‘I didn’t mean it’ _

_ ‘I’m glad jongin came when he did’ _

_ ‘I hope you’re okay’ _

_ ‘I’m not like that, I swear’ _

It wasn’t a dream, or  _ nightmare; _ it had really happened. If Kyungsoo hadn’t made it up, then what happened to Jongin’s wounds?

“I know you didn’t really want to come, but are you seriously going to sit on your phone while the game’s going?” Baekhyun’s teasing tone made the nineteen year old’s gaze snap up from his device, only to see that the match had indeed started.

“Sorry,” Kyungsoo muttered, locking his phone and dropping it back into his backpack. He shook his head a little to try and remove his previous thoughts from his mind. He could just ask Jongin about it later, and he also definitely needed to get the story off his chest. He was probably going to tell the others as they walked home after the game.

Refocusing on the game in front of him, Chanyeol had the ball. Baekhyun jumped up and hooted his pleasure, yelling advice and encouragements from the sidelines as the taller sprinted while dribbling. His reign didn’t last long however, as a blue clad player came out of nowhere, slide tackling the ball from Chanyeol’s possession. The ball flew to the player in the blue jersey numbered twenty one, and Chanyeol tripped over the player on the ground in front of him. Kyungsoo was surprised to see the tackling player who helped the IT student get back up turned out to be Jongin. He felt a sense of pride over the law student’s play, even though it was against one of his best friends.

“Get back in there, Channie!” Baekhyun yelled, sitting himself back down once his boyfriend’s possession was over. “Damn, who knew Jongin was so good? I didn’t even see him coming.”

Kyungsoo let the smug look take over his expression as number twenty one got a goal. Blue - one, white - null.

“And Jongdae?! What do their parents feed them, the blood of their enemies?” The second year singer continued, outraged by the well-oiled teamwork between the Kims.

Kyungsoo had never had Jongdae pointed out to him before, unlike with Sehun and Krystal. He looked closer, curious as to what he looked like.  _ Probably nothing like Jongin, they’re adopted after all, _ the musician quickly reminded himself.

Jongdae had messy black hair, and an open grin. As the blue team surrounded him, patting and hugging in congratulation for the first goal, the eldest Kim bellowed out a roar effortlessly. He seemed like the easily noisy type, and Kyungsoo liked him already.

Continuing the gameplay, the white team started the kickoff. A tall, broad and broody man kicked to the closest team member - Minseok. Kyungsoo’s best friend again jumped up in support of his friend, and the nineteen year old couldn’t help but join in. Screw the nearby students who flinched around them and  _ especially _ screw Sehun, who kept glaring.

The whooping and hollering ended faster than expected. The player who had begun the play with the kickoff sprinted after his teammate, running side-by-side with Minseok. Kyungsoo had certainly never seen that gameplay tactic before. Minseok grimaced and hunched slightly, turning away from the ball. The brawny man, number seven, took possession of the ball, continuing to dribble it into the offside.

“Did he just elbow Minseok in the ribs?” Baekhyun asked in disbelief, both singers too unsure about what had happened to sit back down. Kyungsoo watched the other players, trying to gauge if that’s what he just witnessed. Two of the closest players, one white and one blue-teamed, seemed to check up on the third year. From the distance all the musicians could make out was some vague brushing off motions and Minseok looked fine again.

“No idea, but that number seven seems…” Kyungsoo struggled to find the right word, watching as the player tore through the field like a drill, ignoring calls for passes from teammates. “Intense.”

“You can say that again.” Baekhyun agreed, crouching back down onto the metal bench. “You know, I hate people like that. Why sign up for a team sport, when you’re clearly a one-man-show kinda guy?”

The first year couldn’t disagree. Number seven’s tactic consisted of running at full speed towards the players defending, almost making them cower away in fear. There was no finesse to his style, as he barreled directly forward with heavy footfalls. The ball was passed once near the goal, to create a diversion, before it was back to Mr One-Man-Army. A hollowed thud of the leather against his boot, and the black and white ball flew to the top left corner of the goal. The white team cheered, though only half bothered to fist-bump or ruffle the hair of the muscled man.

Blue - one, white - one.

Kyungsoo should’ve be pleased, his friends’ team got a goal, after all. He wasn’t sure if it was the bad energy around number seven, though, or the fact that Jongin’s team was no longer in the lead, that had him frowning rather than smiling.

Soon enough, the blue team got a kickoff and the game resumed.

In reality, Kyungsoo found himself rather bored by the sport. He just didn’t see the appeal that apparently the rest of the college campus did. The majority of a game, especially if played by professionals, is filled with needless back-and-forth where no points are scored. The nineteen year old could think of a thousand other things much more worthy of his time. But he did want to support his friends, so he supposed one game every now and then wasn’t so bad. Kyungsoo wondered if Baekhyun too only came to watch as a sign of support, or if he actually found it engaging.

“Wooh! Argh, better luck next time Channie!” Baekhyun bellowed with hands cupped around his mouth, cheering as the IT student narrowly missed a goal. The second year music major sat on the edge of his seat, his posture leant forward and eyes darting up and down the field in front of him. Kyungsoo guessed he must have actually enjoyed it.

It was to no one’s surprise when number seven took possession again later in the game, running straight for the protected net. He sped through the other players, both friend and foe, on his journey across the field. Directly in front of him, however, stood a very determined defender. Though most players seemed to move out of the burly man’s way, one planted themselves right in front of the goal, knees bent and feet wide. Kyungsoo found himself more interested as soon as he saw the two digits printed on the blue shirt.

Jongin stood proud, waiting to see if the other would run around him, or crash into him. Many other blue-jersey’d sportsmen tried to tackle the ball from the white runner, but none managed to. Kyungsoo began biting his lip as he saw that though number seven grew closer, he made no move to slow down.

The crowd quietened, watching intently. Jongin’s hands were wide, out either side of him. Kyungsoo stood up as number seven barreled forward. The two were only a few feet away, and number seven didn’t slow down. A loud smack, the ball was gone. The whistle blew, signalling that time was up. Number seven lowered his shoulder. The two men collided. Both flew, the white teammate landing solidly on top of Jongin. Kyungsoo winced at the sight of the taller getting winded.

“Draw!” The referee called, whistling once more for good measure.

The ball was caught by the goalkeeper, so at least the white team hadn’t scored anything. The blue team took that as a win, anyway. Members cheered as Jongdae ran up to his flattened brother, pushing off the game-hogger roughly. Jongin seemed to get on his two feet relatively easily, with Jongdae’s help.

Kyungsoo let out a breath he didn’t realise he was holding, though still bit the inside of his cheek in worry for the law student’s well being.

“Gahh. As much as Jackson gets on my nerves, it still would’ve been nice for Chan and Min’s side to win.” Baekhyun said, checking the time on his phone as he got up from the seating. Kyungsoo looked back down to the field, to number seven’s back as he sauntered off the field with a few other players.

“That  _ wall’s _ name is Jackson?”

“Oh, yeah. He’s totally arrogant, but also talented, sooo... You know how that goes.” The second year shrugged, shouldering his backpack and looking over the players left on the field. “Anyway, I gotta go see Irene now, I’ll meet you and the other two by the locker rooms soon, yeah? It really shouldn’t take long.”

With a rectangular smile and a small wave, the first year was left to make the journey to the locker rooms alone, both Minseok and Chanyeol having already disappeared in that direction. Realising this was the singer’s first time in the sports precinct, Kyungsoo took a few minutes to wander around the newly constructed building. Though not at all interested in the stories behind the trophies showcased in the corridors, he was painfully aware he was the only crowd member who had followed the team back to the showers. He needed the excuse to have something to do other than gawk at the fit guys getting dressed a few metres away.  _ Did Baekhyun really normally wait for Chanyeol here, _ Kyungsoo wondered, immediately being able to picture the older thriving in such an environment. Kyungsoo would bet good money that his long time friend would make flirtatious small talk with the other players in order to convince Chanyeol to hurry up. And the chump would totally fall for it, every time.

“Hey, Kyungsoo!” The friendly greeting immediately roused the singer from his blank stare at the glass case in front of him, and he hoped it had appeared as though he was reading the little plaques on the polished gold metal. Adjacent to him, Jongin and Jongdae stood at the entrance to the locker room, clearly having only just arrived. “Waiting for Minseok and Chanyeol?”

Kyungsoo nodded to the second year, wondering if the other knew that the shorter had spent most of the game watching him, and not his friends. Jongdae, who he hadn’t formally been introduced to, said something quietly to Jongin, before entering the changing room. The musician supposed they wouldn’t be introduced then, either.

“You did well on that final play,” Kyungsoo said, wanting to sound like this match hadn’t been the first he’d ever seen. He realised that there was probably a real name for the move, like  _ ‘the gatekeeper’  _ or  _ ‘the stout mule’, _ and by not referring to it as such he’d exposed himself as a newbie to the sport. Or, would there really be a name for that? The singer was pretty sure an angry bulldozer running at you full speed wasn’t something that happened every game. Maybe from now on the move would be called  _ ‘the Jongin’...  _ “Looked painful.”

Wowww.  _ ‘Looked painful’? Really?  _ Kyungsoo internally smacked himself. Imagine if yesterday, when Jongin had resolved the Hyunsik situation ever so admirably, he’d just stared down at the first year’s helpless form and said  _ ‘Ouch, that looked painful.’ Eugh. _

“Ahh, it looked worse than it felt, promise. It was a pretty eventful match, so a good first game to watch.” Jongin’s smile faltered, and he quickly reached up to fiddle with his earlobe. “Not that- I mean, I usually see Baekhyun cheering alone. I don’t ch- It’s just, he’s pretty obvious with his cheering, so…”

Kyungsoo gave a gentle laugh, relaxing at the knowledge he wasn’t the only one a little nervous. He took a step closer to the older, as they had been speaking with an unusually large gap between them beforehand, but he wanted to make the conversation a little more comfortable.

“How astute of you, Mr Kim. It was indeed the first game I’ve come to see.” The nineteen year old giggled, glad to see Jongin smile warmly, no longer fiddling with his ear.

A group of four more players, all wearing white uniforms, squeezed passed the talking duo. Jongin moved forward, further away from the doorway.

“And how did you find it, Mr Do? To your tastes, I hope.” Jongin played along, his brow piqued in interest as he leant over the shorter slightly. Both were a lot closer now but Kyungsoo didn’t want to back down, not when he’d initiated it.

“I’m not too sure…” The singer shrugged dismissively, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Maybe I’ll have to see another game to properly decide.”

A laugh bubbled from Jongin’s throat, and his smile reached his eyes. The older’s gaze quickly shifted around the features of the shorter’s face, and Kyungsoo could feel himself blush at the open attention. The music major looked down shyly, and tried to think of something to say to continue the conversation.

The peaceful silence was broken by the rambunctious yells and hoots from the end of the corridor. Kyungsoo turned to watch as half a dozen soccer players crowded the hallway. The cluster was led by none other than Jackson, who smiled and hollered loudly along with the other men, a pepsi in hand. As soon as the white team member caught sight of Jongin, and Kyungsoo, his grin turned wicked. The first year tried to avoid making eye contact, but was unsuccessful, and Jackson’s gaze burned.

“What are you looking at?” Jackson asked in a gruff tone, walking up to the pair talking by the doorway. Kyungsoo didn’t answer, instead lowering his gaze to the ground and unconsciously hunching in on himself. Jackson was the embodiment of intimidating, especially when he towered over someone.

Jongin opened his mouth, a frown already in place, when Jackson shoved Kyungsoo roughy, his elbow propelling the smaller forward.

“Tch. Can’t see why you chose him,  _ Kim _ .”

A firm scowl erupted across the second year’s expression. Though his jaw was set and his eyes aflame, his touch still carried gentleness when he caught Kyungsoo against his chest.

“Hey!” Jongin barked, moving Kyungsoo aside with assertiveness. He was clearly about to begin a fight of some kind with the other, who smirked with satisfaction. The confrontation on the field only half an hour ago must not have been enough for Jackson, if he still wanted to push people’s, maybe just Jongin’s, buttons. Either way, though, Kyungsoo didn’t want that happening.

“Jongin, don’t.” Kyungsoo interrupted, suddenly having the confidence to hold the taller back, a hand grabbing the other’s upper arm. Jongin’s movement halted immediately, and he turned to look at the younger. Kyungsoo implored him to stop with his gaze, and the law student took a deep breath to calm himself down, stepping back from the other sportsman.

“Pathetic,” Jackson spat, the self-assured smirk never falling. He seemed ready to continue provoking the second year, but made no argument when he was ushered into the locker room by another member of their group. One of the other players, someone even taller than Jongin, patted the law major on the back as he passed, an apology for his friend’s actions.

When the corridor was yet again emptied sans the two, Kyungsoo realised he still held the taller’s arm. Remembering what he’d wanted to ask, the singer investigated the scratchless appendage. Running his fingers softly against the caramel skin, there were no divots or bumps. No cover-up of the thin cuts, it was as if they were never there.

“Kyungsoo, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten upset, I know, but you can’t let people treat you-”

“What happened to the marks?” Kyungsoo interjected, interrupting the older again. This clearly surprised the second year, as he followed the shorter’s gaze to the uninjured arm with a frown.

“The marks?”

“Hyunsik scratched you. There was blood.” Kyungsoo finally separated his gaze from the golden tone, looking up into the brown eyes of the elder. Maybe he was focussing too much on such a simple thing, but it was the first thing he could think of to change the direction of the conversation. He didn’t want to be told he was a doormat, he already knew he was bad at defending himself against bullies. Nor did he want to see the look of pity on Jongin’s face when he offered to defend Kyungsoo on his behalf. Instead, he wanted to know he wasn’t crazy, that the Hyunsik thing had actually happened. Even though he had more than enough proof in the form of apologetic texts on his phone and a large yellow bruise in the middle of his chest.

“Oh, that. They weren’t that serious. Cleared up overnight, not as bad as they looked.” Jongin laughed sheepishly, rubbing a hand over his own arm self-consciously. Kyungsoo got a sense of deja vu from the way the other dismissed the injury, though made no comment on it.

“Well, I’m glad,” Kyungsoo said, trying to brighten the mood of the conversation that seemed more tense and sour than before.  _ Was that Jackson’s fault, or mine? _ Kyungsoo thought to himself, intent on fixing it either way. “I know I didn’t really get to say it yesterday, but  _ thank you _ . For being there. The whole thing was so crazy, I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t come when you did.”

“You’re welcome. But, really, it was just a case of right place, right time. I’m sure anyone would’ve done the same thing.” Jongin spoke modestly, but still avoided eye contact. “Speaking of, I know this sounds a little… But I was hoping maybe you could, kind of,  _ not _ tell a lot of people about yesterday..?”

Kyungsoo raised his eyebrows in surprise, as Jongin continued to stutter.

“I’m not saying what Hyunsik did wasn’t bad, it’s just… He was really not himself, you know how normal he usually is. I’m not saying you have to forgive him or anything, but… I just think not telling anyone would be for the best. For now, at least.” The ear fiddling was back with reverence.

The first year college student wasn’t sure what to say.  _ ‘He was really not himself’?  _ Yeah, that much was clear. How did not telling anyone help that, though?

“I… didn’t know you and Hyunsik really knew each other.” Kyungsoo decided to say, unsure why Jongin was defending the person he had  _ protected _ the shorter from the day before. The person who, if Kyungsoo’s memory served, shared a tense look with the law student before the whole ‘thing’ had even happened. What had changed? Were they besties now or something?

“I don’t!” Jongin was quick to correct, his hand frozen mid-squeeze of his earlobe. He looked away again afterwards, speaking in a way that was closer to a mumble. “But Sehun does. My brother.”

Kim ‘M c Glarey Face’ Sehun. Great, that elicited confidence. Kyungsoo didn’t like to judge people before he’d met them, but he was pretty sure he wouldn’t trust Sehun’s judgement of character further than he could throw the tall twin.

“I can’t not tell Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo blabbed, thinking out loud. Trying to keep something from the older never ended well. When there had been a surprise sixteenth birthday party organised for the other singer, the two friends had ended up in a fight right before it started because Baekhyun had known he was keeping something from him. From then on they’d decided to ban all secrets between them. “But I guess I won’t seek disciplinary action from the college. That’s the best I can offer.”

The music student still didn’t know why the law major was begging for secrecy about Hyunsik’s episode, but the second year had more than proven himself worthy of the younger’s trust. So Kyungsoo would agree to his request, assuming it didn’t happen again. He also wanted to know what was going on with the first year science major more than anything, but was willing to hold his tongue a little longer.

“Thank you, Kyungsoo. I- he owes you big time.” The bashful facade melted away from the soccer player’s body language, his good mood regained.

Jongin suddenly snapped his fingers as his eye lit up, and a bright smile stretched along his face once more.

“That reminds me, I just finished the latest  _ ‘Guns and Garnets’ _ book. I loved the ending!”

“Ahh! No spoilers!” Kyungsoo squealed reflexively, sandwiching his hands over his ears. He and Jongin had discovered, over one of their lunch hangouts, that they both loved murder mysteries. They were both avid fans of the series by Park Soo-yeong, which featured a married couple going undercover in a series of occupations in order to investigate various killings. The most recent novel, titled  _ ‘January Joyriding’, _ had only just come out. The first year student hadn’t had a chance to pick up a copy of it yet.

“Of course not, I would never!” Jongin laughed at the shorter’s display: his shoulders hunched and eyes squeezed shut. “You have to read it, though. I can lend my copy to you?”

The softness in the older’s voice indicated that he was sincere in his offer, more than just acting polite. Kyungsoo liked the idea of reading the same copy as the other, his hands turning the exact pages Jongin’s had as he was hooked on the same words.

“That would be really nice!” Kyungsoo chirped, eyeing two familiar figures leaving the locker rooms in fresh clothes over Jongin’s shoulder. “I’ll make sure to reread the end of the last novel to refresh my memory.”

“Cool. I’ll message you about it later!” The law student said farewell with a wave, leaving to go shower himself as Kyungsoo’s other friends entered the scene.

“Oooh what’s this? You two finally giving in to temptation and making it official?” Chanyeol asked, only having heard Jongin’s last comment. The IT student skipped over, smiling mischievously, whilst Minseok followed behind.

“The phrase ‘making it official’ means getting married, Park.” The third year informed, taking out his phone when he felt it buzz.

“Really?...I have some people I need to apologise to, then.” Chanyeol frowned in contemplation, before shaking it off and wrapping an arm around the first year's shoulders. “Whatever. You two smitten kittens going on a date or what?”

Kyungsoo denied the possibility immediately, cursing his biology for nominating that moment as the perfect time to send a flush of blood to his cheeks. He also cursed his friends for being so on-top of his crush without him ever explicitly telling them, nor them ever seeing the nineteen year old and law student interact more than once. How could he possibly be  _ that _ obvious?

He would be lying to himself if he didn't admit that he had daydreamed about the two dating, though. But Jongin was virtually perfect, he was way out of the younger’s league. It was never going to happen.

“Byun’s finished with his lecturer, says to meet by the west gates.” Minseok tapped a quick reply before locking his phone, adjusting the strap of his sports bag on his shoulder as he began heading out of the sports complex.

Chanyeol shook the short nineteen year old, smiling merrily while the first year squeezed his eyes shut in pre-embarrassment. He knew that Chanyeol was going to blab and Baekhyun was going to overreact, even though there was nothing to react to. Plus, he really wanted to get the whole Hyunsik thing off his chest… And sometimes talking seriously with his friends was a difficult feat. Kyungsoo sighed as Chanyeol laughed.

“Should I start preparing the ‘you break his heart and I break you’ speech?”

 

_ ~Wild Flowers Worth Knowing~ _

 

The sun lounged on the horizon, burning a dull orange into the surrounding sky. The fizzle in his stomach hadn’t yet died down, and even the chill of the autumn evening couldn’t steal the warmth from his skin. Jongin sighed.

“You’re not usually so quiet, the Jackson thing got you pent up?” The lollipop clacked against Jongdae’s teeth as he spoke. When no answer was immediately forthcoming, the third year removed the candy from his mouth entirely. “You know, I didn’t ditch my car in the student parking lot to walk home with you for you to completely block me out.”

“No, it’s not Jackson.” Jongin pursed his lips. He had to admit, though not what was currently plaguing the second year’s mind, Jackson’s stint both on and off the soccer field earlier that day had been a massive frustration. Jongin rarely got so competitive or angry, but with Jackson purposefully getting under his skin, and his direct attack on Kyungsoo… he couldn’t stop himself.

“Ahh, the human, then.” The white stick twirled betwixt two fingers, orbiting the strawberries and cream planet atop. “I did warn you getting involved with a human wasn’t a good idea.”

“Believe me,  _ I know _ , but he kept talking to me at those committee meetings. It turned out we have similar interests… At first I just didn’t want to seem rude, but then…” The law major tilted his head back, closing his eyes. He should regret befriending Kyungsoo, definitely. There was no way it was going to end well, for anyone. And yet, Jongin couldn’t say he did. The deceptively youthful man was naturally social, and being forced to restrict himself to only associate with his family was difficult. Sehun, especially, could be such a drag. But the sweet heart-smiles and animated eyes of a little nineteen year old was so refreshing, the second year couldn’t help but fall into orbit around him.

“Because getting him killed by a rogue vampire isn’t rude at all.” Jongdae scoffed, and Jongin immediately turned his head to glare at the older. The history major softened, placing a gentle hand on the younger’s shoulder. “Seriously though, it’s for their safety we stay away.”

Jongin wanted to mention how he’d seen the older pay special attention with helping another human, Minseok, setting up a cutter for a header during practice. He quickly decided against it, knowing Jongdae was well practiced at making people think he was friendly, whilst actually keeping them quite distanced. A trait Jongin couldn’t replicate for the life of him.

“What’s done is done, and now I have to make sure my mistake doesn’t cost him his life. Hyunsik’s already started going after him, and don’t even mention that whole bloodthirst spectacle.” The second year threaded his fingers through his fringe. The first year science major was obviously newly turned, and Jongin couldn’t believe he had to clean up his mess. Speaking of, the law major reminded himself to track the kid down and tell him what he’d ended up telling Kyungsoo, so that their stories lined up. Maybe Hyunsik could just say he was on a new medication or something.

“Human ‘going after’, as in trying to date him? Or rogue-vampire ‘going after’, as in about to kill him behind a dumpster?” Jongdae asked, not even wanting to know about the bloodthirst situation. That could only be bad.

“God, I don’t know. Maybe they need a feeder, and he’s enthusiastic to prove himself.”

The third year watched his companion for a long time, eyes thoughtful. He seemed to be weighing his words carefully before he shrugged and looked to the other end of the street.

“Maybe  _ you _ should date him.”

Jongin blanked. Where had that come from?

“I mean,” the older of the two explained, turning back to the younger, “It would make the human less suspicious of your constant surveillance, and maybe it would be a serious enough move that Hyunsik would back off.”

Jongin sobered, reflecting on the other’s words. It was common for vampires to claim a human under the pretense of dating, ‘dibbs’-ing them with the intention of later turning them. And though Jongin had no intention of creating a vampire out of the boisterous music major, it would be a strategic move that might just get Hyunsik and his clan to leave the human alone. Or it could create an even larger target on his head.

“I mean, I'm like seventy percent sure you would have tried to get into his pants anyway.” Jongdae added flippantly, plopping the lollipop back in his mouth. “This way it's just a win-win.”

Beyond the embarrassment Jongin could feel gathering at his cheeks, he was also surprised. The Kim Clan had few rules, but ‘no human relations’ was definitely one of them. ‘No exceptions’, being another. And here Jongdae was, not only supporting a romantic relationship with one, but planting the idea in Jongin’s mind in the first place? Jongdae was definitely an open-minded, relaxed individual. He was also the only person on the face of the Earth that had known Jongin as long as he had. The clan was still the clan, though. And loyalty to that always  had to come first.

Jongin kicked the gravel that had gathered on the concrete path as he walked, falling behind Jongdae’s pace. The second year college student felt like the weight of the world had been resting on his shoulders for the past few days, but could the solution actually be so simple? His only other option, he supposed, would be to cut off all ties to the human. That method was unlikely to work, now that Hyunsik had seen how close they were, and would probably just leave Kyungsoo utterly defenseless. In the end, he decided he at least owed the musical student the chance to let things play out. Maybe everything would turn out fine.

“Can’t hurt to give it a try,” Jongin muttered to himself, having to jog a little to keep up with his older companion, who started somehow whistling whilst still sucking his sugary sphere. “Dae, where did you even get that lollipop?”

 

_ ~Wild Flowers Worth Knowing~ _

 

Kyungsoo was surprised to find the library still crowded so late into the evening. Normally at eight o’clock on a Thursday night he’d already be snuggled in bed with his dinner and an episode of  _ ‘Murder She Wrote’ _ streaming on his laptop. But instead, he was writing an essay on rootless voicing for his musical theory subject a whole month before it was even due. Well, he was supposed to be. Somehow, he couldn’t stop his eyes from glancing at his phone next to him every three seconds, wondering if he was going to get an update from Jongin. The second year had asked to lend him his novel after his evening class, which was supposed to have ended twenty minutes ago. The first year had agreed, organising to meet in the library, pretending he was studious and hardworking and totally not a chronic procrastinator.

But, honestly, the longer Kyungsoo waited the more he found the white noise of the hushed discussions and tapping of keyboards to be lulling him to sleep. Thinking back to when he had fallen unconscious in the library the day before, he decided that he most certainly did not want Jongin to find him in such an embarrassing state as Baekhyun had. Focussing on researching references for his paper, however, was not a good distraction and Kyungsoo couldn’t hold back a wide yawn, not even bothering to cover his mouth.

“Blank document syndrome?” The honey-coated voice would have added to the sleep-inducing atmosphere had it not brought with it a whirlwind of bees to the music student’s stomach.

“Jongin!” Kyungsoo exclaimed, suddenly arching his back out of its hunch and slamming his laptop shut in reflex. He begged whatever power lived above that Jongin hadn’t seen his gross display of a yawn. He didn’t want the other thinking he was  _ unhygienic _ or something. God, what had happened to ‘studious and hardworking’? His image was falling apart before he’d even opened his mouth.  _ Well, technically... _

“Oh, I didn’t mean to scare you. Sorry, I shouldn’t have just…  _ spoken _ , like that.” Jongin tried to apologise, but clearly even he didn’t know what he should have done instead. He shifted his weight onto his other foot as he looked around to the few students who were awake enough to register the younger’s yelp and glare annoyedly in their direction.

“No, no. Totally my bad! I was just-” Kyungsoo motioned to his laptop, before remembering that Jongin had seen it and knew it only showed an empty word document. “Yeah…”

“I brought the book.” Jongin changed the topic quickly, noticing the haze of exhaustion over the first year’s eyes. “How about I walk you back to the dorms?”

Kyungsoo nodded gratefully, slipping his laptop into his backpack before following the elder to exit the library. As soon as the pair made it out into the cold night air, Kyungsoo dipped the lower half of his face into his scarf. He couldn’t believe that this was the third time the two had made this walk, though this time was definitely the best. The previous two were under less than desirable circumstances, after all.

“I could probably navigate this trip with my eyes closed by now.” Jongin laughed, his hands buried deep in his pockets as he walked. His head was tilted towards the ground and he didn’t turn to look at the first year. Kyungsoo took the opportunity to admire how good the second year looked in his blue striped shirt and loose, faded jeans. He really didn’t dress like a law major, not that Kyungsoo judged people based on such stereotypes. But if he did, he would be pleased by the observation.

“Yeah, sorry.” Kyungsoo could only apologise, feeling a twinge of guilt for putting Jongin in a situation where he needed to help the younger home on three separate occasions. Though, in his defence, he thought he would’ve been perfectly fine to find his way back to the dorms alone in this instance.

“Oh, no! There’s nothing to be sorry about.” Jongin was clearly shocked by the younger’s more downcast response to what he had meant as nothing more than a lighthearted comment. “It’s not a bad thing.”

The soccer player had turned to face the musician as he clarified, and he watched the way the rosy hue spread over the tops of the shorter’s cheeks and button nose. The younger’s expression, though half covered by bright yellow material, stretched into a relieved smile. Jongin looked away quickly, worried that if he stared much longer he wouldn’t be able to stop.

“So… do you share your dorm with anyone?” The second year spoke as the thought occurred to him, surprised that he didn’t actually know. That seemed like the kind of thing Kyungsoo would have mentioned during one of his long-winded anecdotes.

“Nah, I don’t have a roommate. Honestly the place is too small for two people unless they’re joined at the hip.” It was the shorter’s turn to giggle at his own comment.

“Good.” Jongin replied without thinking, before realising how rude that sounded. How did he explain  _ that  _ without admitting he would be just a smidge jealous if the first year roomed with someone else? “I mean, I’m glad I’m not disrupting both you  _ and _ your roommate’s night by making you stay behind in the library.”

_ Nailed it. _

“Well, thank you for walking me here. Again.” Kyungsoo said as they reached the entrance of the student residential building, turning his back on the door to face Jongin. He smiled up at the elder expectantly.

_ God, even his blinking is cute,  _ Jongin thought, before remembering the entire point of the evening.

“I’m the reason you were on campus so late, so it was only right that I should see you home safely.” The second year explained, stalling as he dug around in his backpack, before he pulled out a paperback. “Here’s the book, don’t hurry to finish it. Take your time. I actually read it twice, just to absorb all the details.”

He handed the fairly thick novel over, Kyungsoo’s cold fingers touching Jongin’s warm ones as he gripped the spine. The sensation sent a chill down the second year’s arm, for more than one reason. He continued to smile and gaze into the enthralling eyes of the singer, and though the shorter thanked him again, he didn’t hear.

_ Well, this is it. Just follow Jongdae’s advice and… ask. Human’s do it all the time. _

With faux confidence, Jongin took a step closer to the music major. He almost leant over the shorter, and Kyungsoo craned his neck and raised his eyebrows at the sudden move, but didn’t step back. Jongin took this, and the increased frequency of white puffs of air he now felt tickle his chin, as a good sign. The icy autumn breeze could do nothing to reduce the heat that Jongin felt strum through his body, and the second year noticed he could see the stars reflected in Kyungsoo’s eyes. They were wide and imploring, as if begging the older to act. Jongin swallowed the lump in his throat.

“I also wanted to ask you...”

“To be respectful to your belongings? Don’t worry, I don’t dog-ear my pages. I use a bookmark I made for my mother when I was four, it’s pretty ugly but-” Kyungsoo interrupted the elder, immediately breaking the eye contact, somehow looking at something that was not the tall and broad man that blocked his entire view. He continued to talk, describing how the piece of coloured card originally had painted pasta stuck on it, but he’d ripped them off when he realised that the piece of stationary then wouldn’t sit flat between closed pages.

Jongin stood stunned, his mouth still open, as the other continued to speak. Why had he been interrupted: was Kyungsoo turning him down politely, or did he genuinely think that was what the law student was going to ask? Quickly thinking over the past four months the two had spent getting to know each other, Jongin couldn’t eliminate either possibility. The shorter sometimes went to extreme efforts to be overly kind to everyone around him, but could also be painfully oblivious. Jongin sighed, knowing he was just going to have to be straightforward about his intentions if they were going to get anywhere.

“Actually.” The second year began firmly, feeling a little bad for cutting the younger off as he explained his colour choices for the glitter he put on the bookmark. “I wanted to ask you out on a date.”

The words felt foreign on his tongue, but he was glad he’d just out and said it. Kyungsoo stilled, barely even breathing as he looked into Jongin’s eyes. The first year stood unresponsive, but visibly tightened his grip on the borrowed novel that he now clutched to his chest. The law major frowned as the seconds ticked by without an answer.  _ Definitely just being polite… _

Jongin barely registered that he’d begun to move away when a pale limb shot out to grab his hand, tugging him back into close proximity with the younger. The pull was a bit more forceful than necessary, making the older almost bump right into Kyungsoo. The musician, however, simultaneously yanked his scarf off his face and directed the taller down with a hand on the back of Jongin’s neck.

The immediate and urgent press of lips on his made the law student’s head spin. Another wave of warmth shot through his body as he pressed back, unable to repress his relieved smile. Long arms found their way around the shorter’s waist, hugging the first year into the chaste kiss.

Kyungsoo pulled away slowly, keeping his eyes squeezed closed. He bit his lip, but was definitely smiling. Jongin didn’t think he’d be this over the moon about being accepted, but wasn’t going to take it for granted. He really owed Jongdae, confessing to Kyungsoo was the best idea he’d ever had. The second year was amazed how one innocent kiss could completely wipe his memory of all the other things he had to worry about.  _ Hyunsik, who? _

“Technically you didn’t ask, it was more like a  _ pseudo _ -ask. But I’m not going to give you time to take it back.” Kyungsoo finally opened his eyes, and they were absolutely  _ sparkling _ . Jongin was sure the shorter could feel the heavy beat of his heart through their hugging position, but didn’t care. In fact, he hoped he could. “I would  _ love _ to go on an official date with you.”

The taller just watched the shorter as he glowed, his arms still wrapped around the younger’s waist, never having felt more comfortable in his life. Kyungsoo’s hand had wandered from the base of Jongin’s neck, his fingers now twirling the hair on the back of the older’s head. The musician continued to fiddle with the short brown locks as he kept talking, describing how he prefered more casual dates, like going to amusement parks, over fancy dinners. Jongin took note of every detail the shorter dictated, watching fondly as Kyungsoo yet again got lost in a world of his own words.

Somewhere along the way, the first year stopped speaking, grinning cutely back up at the law major. The comfortable silence stretched on until Kyungsoo shivered, retracting his hand from the other’s neck, tucking it along with his other arm, which still held  _ ‘January Joyriders’ _ between their chests.

“How are you always so warm?” The question was stuttered through chattering teeth, and the singer blushed before tucking his head under Jongin’s chin. The inquiry, no matter how normal, still set a stone into the pit of Jongin’s stomach. He immediately remembered every reason why he shouldn’t have done what he just had. This was going to ruin everything.

“Are you saying I’m hot?” Jongin joked, hoping his sudden tenseness wasn’t obvious to the smaller man in his arms. The second year rubbed his hands up and down Kyungsoo’s back, both in an attempt to share some of his heat, and as a form of distraction.

The singer scoffed, shoving Jongin’s chest away, revealing his flushed face. He shivered again, squeezing the book with both hands.

“We should get going, unless you want both of us to get sick.” Kyungsoo leant forward again, resting a hand on Jongin’s shoulder for balance. On the tip of his toes, he placed a gentle kiss on the taller’s cheek. “I’m sure ‘couple colds’ aren’t as good as they sound.”

Jongin chuckled, promising to message the younger soon. And with that, the musician was quick to disappear behind the dormitory entry, sending a little wave and heart-shaped smile over his shoulder.

The vampire was rooted to the ground a moment longer, staring at the closed doorway. The only light came from the bare bulb over the entrance Kyungsoo had just walked through. The glow was bright,  _ safe _ even, but the illumination didn’t quite reach Jongin’s form, and so his figure continued to bask in the shadows alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! Have a lovely day!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe this turned out as virtually 10k of fluff, but am I sorry about it???? Not even a smidge :)

The lights sparkled and twirled hypnotically, burning rebelliously bright through the surrounding darkness, and Kyungsoo felt exactly as he’d hoped he would. The reassuring warmth against his side made the nineteen year old feel grounded, and he linked arms with the man beside him as they continued to share a cloud of cotton candy.

It was Saturday, only two days after Jongin had asked the younger out, and now they were both walking through the bustling crowds at Ilsan Lake Park. Kyungsoo liked how fast Jongin worked, even though he knew it was just a coincidence that the carnival rolled into town the weekend after the musician had mentioned his love of amusement parks. He was going to take it as a sign, though, choosing to think it was simply meant to be.

“Ooh!” Kyungsoo squealed merrily, pulling Jongin aside to a stall. He quickly handed over a ticket he’d purchased earlier, getting handed three ping pong balls in return.

“Do you have a strategy for this one?” The second year asked, referencing an earlier conversation where the singer had explained his favoured approaches for the different carnival games.

“Mhmm,” Kyungsoo hummed, holding an orange ball at the open mouth of the rotating plastic clown, turning his head to glance up at the law student. Jongin was pressed up against his back, the flocks of people around them pushing them together. The shorter enjoyed the excuse to have the taller draped over him, and guessing from the sure hold on his waist, Jongin liked it too. “Right, left, right. That way you get all three in the very middle.”

The older only laughed in response, but any scepticism he may have had dissipated when the younger won twenty more park tickets. Jongin tried the same game afterwards and received a small penguin keychain. He gave it to the cute first year who promised to use it for his dorm key.

The two continued to walk through the lively atmosphere, both discussing the first portion of _‘January Joyriders’_ that Kyungsoo had read. The singer gushed about the ballet dancer’s son who seemed so kind and helpful towards the investigation, and Jongin tried to stop himself from admitting that the boy the music major adored turns out to be the murderer.

Kyungsoo soon lost track of the conversation, seeing a mop of dishevelled black locks leaning on a close by photobooth. The short man was alone, reading something on his phone but glanced up and around every few seconds. They locked gazes.

“Hey, isn’t that Jongdae?” The nineteen year old sent the third year a smile as Jongin followed his line of sight. “You’ve not introduced us, let’s go talk to him.”

The second year started to stutter a refusal to the idea, but was already being dragged by the shorter, who was beyond excited to meet the adoptive brother. Jongdae, who saw the very obvious path towards him the pair were making, looked a little like he was a deer caught in the headlights.

“Hi, I’m Kyungsoo!” The shortest greeted. His voice was loud, but he still clung to Jongin’s arm. The ‘siblings’ exchanged looks, and though the younger looked worried, the eldest composed himself in record time.

“Yeah, I know exactly who you are.” A cheeky smile was accompanied by a teasing eyebrow raise, before he pointed to himself with his thumb. “Jongdae. I’m Romeo’s older bro, but you probably know all that. I’m sure he talks about me _all the time._ ”

All three laughed, and Kyungsoo was so relieved the third year was as friendly as he seemed at first glance. He was glad Jongin had at least one member of his family that seemed to really care. Kyungsoo pushed down the pang of jealousy.

“So, Jongdae, what are you up to tonight?” Kyungsoo asked, interested to note that Jongdae seemed surprised by the question, looking to Jongin before answering.

“Uh, yeah. Just waiting to meet up with some friends, actually.” He gestured to the phone in his hands and Kyungsoo nodded, thinking that explained the constant glancing around.

Jongin cleared his throat, as if about to speak, when he was interrupted by a boisterous yell. Another figure swept him aside, disentangling his arm from Kyungsoo’s. The taller made a noise of protest.

“Kyungie-Kyungie-Soo-Soo!” A short, auburn-haired man ran to hug the aforementioned. He let go, only to start pinching the singer’s cheeks. “How have you been?”

“G-good.” Kyungsoo replied, his tone devoid of the previous enthusiasm he showcased while speaking with Jongdae. He leaned away from the newcomer’s grasp, rubbing his reddened cheeks. “Thanks for asking.”

“Uh, hi..?” The second year interjected, taking the attention of the short man -boy?- away from the pouting first year. “I’m Jongin, Kyungsoo’s boyfriend.”

The music major flushed further, his soured mood restored ten-fold. Jongin considered them officially boyfriends? Kyungsoo almost floated up and away into the atmosphere. He was no longer just any old Kyungsoo, he was now _Jongin’s boyfriend_ Kyungsoo. Baekhyun had been downright _ecstatic_ when he found out about the date (especially after Wednesday’s false alarm, _thanks Chanyeol),_ so he was probably going to flatline after hearing that they were now legit boyfriends.

“Jongin, this is Mark. Mark, Jongin and Jongin’s brother, Jongdae.” Kyungsoo snapped himself out of his excited thoughts in order to introduce everyone. He spoke with renewed enthusiasm, unable to stop himself from smiling. “Mark is Minseok’s ex.”

Mark gasped but tried to subtly turn it into a cough. He was clearly appalled by the description, and so told the other two he was doing third year engineering to divert their attention. Jongin was surprised to hear this, considering he looked even younger than the nineteen year old. But then again, Minseok also looked young for his age. Maybe they had bonded over it.

“How long have you known Minseok? If you don’t mind me asking.” Jongdae re-entered the discussion, earning Mark’s full attention for the first time.

“Minnie? Oh, we’ve known each other since first year. We go way back.” Mark laughed airily, his smile tight. Kyungsoo cringed, he probably shouldn’t have brought up the business major now that he thought about it…

“Funny, I don’t think he’s mentioned you before.” Jongdae frowned in thought, tilting his head slightly. He caught Jongin’s eyes then immediately straightened up. “Not that we really talk.”

Mark turned to fully face the other, a glint in his eye. An interest that only sparks when Minseok is mentioned, no matter that the two broke up approximately two years prior. Kyungsoo found it pretty sad actually, how Mark was obviously still infatuated with the other third year, even though they hadn’t dated for that long in the first place. He only hoped the elder would stop following Minseok around like a lost puppy someday. For both of their sakes.

“You speak as if you know him pretty well yourself. So, if not talking, how do you spend your time?” Mark crossed his arms, turning his back on the other pair entirely. Jongin saw an opening.

“Okay, we’ll leave you two to it. Nice meeting you, Mark.” The lawyer in training didn’t forget his manners as he offered his arm again to Kyungsoo. The younger accepted it graciously, relieved to be leaving the suddenly tense situation. When the musician had also said farewell, the couple made a quick escape, slipping into the crowd and not turning to look back at the photobooth.

Jongin let out a relieved sigh when they had rounded a corner, with neither of the other two choosing to follow them. Laughter bubbled up in Kyungsoo’s chest thinking about how absurd Mark’s entrance had been, and he pressed further into the older’s side when a group of teenage girls tried to squeeze passed them on the packed walkway.

“Do you want to get some food?” The taller whispered in Kyungsoo’s ear, the screaming from the ride _‘The Phoenix’_ drowning out any more casual attempts of communication. That didn’t stop the tingles that zapped down the younger’s back, however, when he felt the warm puffs of air directly on his neck.

Kyungsoo stopped himself from simply nodding, wanting to tease the elder back. He leaned up, directing Jongin with a hand to the second year’s jaw, tracing it with light fingertips. As he moved closer, he licked his lips in anticipation and saw the taller watching the action with a parted mouth.

“I would love to,” Kyungsoo whispered back, his second hand bracing himself against the other’s chest. He descended slowly, seeing a ripple flutter across Jongin’s shoulders as a shiver passed through him. The singer smiled sweetly up at the soccer player.

Jongin took a deep breath, nodding as he looked over other people’s heads. He seemed to find whatever he was looking for, and boldly draped his arm over the shorter’s shoulders as he began to lead the way. Kyungsoo thought he preferred just linking arms, but when he snaked his own arm around the second year’s waist and felt the perfect curve for his limb to fit, he quickly changed his mind. It was fully night-time and pretty cold out, but the singer was hugging a living heater, so he found himself not minding the weather. In fact, it gave him a pretty good excuse to cuddle that much closer.

“Bungeoppang?” Jongin asked once they'd veered off the main path, waiting by a line in front of a small vendor. Even the mere smell of the doughy batter had the younger salivating. The fried snack was the perfect thing for a chilly night.

Kyungsoo nodded vigorously, looking over the various filling options. Once he decided, the two ordered their food, and the younger paid for a packet of pepero as a last-minute decision as well.

“You're not going to make us eat one from both ends and meet in the middle, are you?” The taller piqued an eyebrow as he looked down at the shorter. Kyungsoo was seeing more and more of the somewhat sassy side to the elder, and he was quickly growing to really like the unexpected aspect.

“Pfft, as if I’m sharing.” The younger stopped himself from smiling as he looked forward, knowing if he held eye-contact with the law major he would burst into a grin.

The pair collected their food, and Kyungsoo suggested they eat while on the Ferris wheel. The musical student loved everything about funfairs, but Ferris wheels were indisputably his favourite. Jongin readily agreed, and so the couple headed off to enjoy their snack in the sky.

The queue had turned out to be far longer than they expected, and so the college students decided to just eat in the line only five minutes into waiting. The cuisine was incredible, and Kyungsoo had never enjoyed sweet fish cakes as much as when he had them that night, with Jongin by his side. He did find it pretty embarrassing, though, when the red bean paste had dripped on his chin without him noticing, and Jongin had to wipe it off for him. Well, embarrassing in a kind of nice way. The couple had been so caught up in each other’s eyes during the encounter, that a sixty year old lady had smacked Jongin upside the head to keep them moving along in the queue. In the end, the taller had been the more abashed out of the two.

The bright green carriage was small, and so the pair got it all to themselves. On the way up Kyungsoo felt a familiar churn in his stomach and he gripped the sleeve of Jongin’s denim jacket tightly, the taller giving him a questioning look in return.

“I may be a _teensy_ bit afraid of heights.”

“Then why is the Ferris wheel your favourite part of amusement parks?”

“The fear. The _danger._ You could say I’m a bit of a daredevil.” Both laughed, and seeing Jongin’s bright smile and hearing his adorable chuckles made Kyungsoo feel more calm than he thought possible, given their elevation. The idea quickly occurred to him: that the nineteen year old could attempt almost anything scary, if he had the older with him. In his opinion, the strength of his emotions to feel such a way was what was truly scary. They had only known each other for five months; how did he feel so comfortable around the other?

Kyungsoo turned his head to look out the window, not wanting Jongin to see the sudden disappearance of his smile. The younger had a bad habit of getting attached to people too quickly, and it rarely led to stable and healthy friendships with people, let alone relationships. He only hoped he wasn’t falling too hard. Or at least that Jongin wouldn’t take advantage of his attachment. _Hah, what am I thinking,_ Kyungsoo berated himself, _Jongin is amazing, he would never do that._

“You can see all of Ilsandong-gu from up here,” the shorter said when he finally noticed the view right in front of him, his voice betraying his absolute wonder. The carriage had reached the apex of its journey, and the twinkling glitter of city lights couldn’t be distinguished from the stars above. The horizon was impossible to find, and the singer found himself preferring it that way; the transformation from human to otherworldly perfectly seamless.

Jongin hummed in distracted amazement. Kyungsoo let his gaze fall from the spectacle outside his window, his eyes searching for the older. When he turned, he saw the other already watching him. There was a glaze in his eyes that Kyungsoo had always wished to have directed to him. His smile returned.

“I’m glad you came.” Jongin looked vulnerable as he spoke, his expression so earnest that the younger swallowed down his joke about only attending for the chance of free food.

“I’m glad, too,” Kyungsoo replied, shuffling away from the window and closer to the man next to him, grabbing the other’s larger hand in his own. He fiddled with the tanned fingers, looking down as he continued, thinking back to their conversation with Mark and Jongdae. “So… _‘boyfriend’..._ ”

“I hope you didn’t mind me calling myself that.” The law major’s tone was even more gentle, but with a smile clear in his voice. He pressed closer as well, his other hand reaching up to glide through the musician’s fringe.

“Mind? No… In fact, I’d prefer it if you continued to.” Kyungsoo still couldn’t look him in the eye, his ears feeling like they were on fire. The other clearly noticed this, as he tilted the shorter’s head up with a finger under his chin. The smile he gave was even sweeter than the cotton candy they had shared earlier.

“I have the cutest boyfriend.”

“I don’t want to brag, but I’m pretty sure mine’s cuter.”

The two leant closer, joining in the middle in a sweet kiss. The pair ignored the glorious view they were missing, preferring to spend the majority of their ride fully focussed on each other. As soon as Jongin’s hands had planted themselves on either side of Kyungsoo’s waist, he completely forgot about the stars outside the window and his fear of heights. He basked in the older’s warmth, feeling all gooey inside from the soft lips on his and the shared breath between them. The extended exchange remained innocent, and Kyungsoo loved how gentlemanly and respectful the taller was. Eventually though, and the younger wasn’t sure who had initiated it, but a searing lick burnt against the tip of his tongue. He wasn’t used to open-mouthed kisses, so the scorching touch made him pull on the locks of Jongin’s hair that were in his grip and elicited a breathy moan from the older. All of a sudden, his body was far more hot than a few moments prior. He could feel them crossing a line into new territory, but he couldn’t possibly refuse the offer. The grip on his waist tightened when the shorter produced a sort of groan-like noise, that under any other circumstance would have been mortifying.

In fact, it still was.

“Excuse me, you may now exit the carriage.” A monotonous voice droned.

Like opposing magnets, the two flew apart. Kyungsoo covered his whole face with his hands, seeing that the entire front section of the line were watching them. _How long had the carriage been grounded for?!_

Jongin apologised on both of their behalves, a hand on the shorter’s back to guide him out. The singer was grateful for this, so he needn’t remove his hands in order to see where he was going. He never wanted to show his face in public again. Even though the pimple-faced ride operator hadn’t seemed too fazed, the group of three set to use the same carriage next looked rightfully disgusted. Kyungsoo never thought he’d be part of one of _those_ couples, the ones that showed way too much PDA and grossed out everyone around them. But here they were.

“We’re all clear now.” Jongin tittered, his arm yet again around the younger’s shoulders, walking them through the security of an anonymous crowd. He didn’t seem nearly fazed enough by what could only be described as a downright _traumatising_ experience. Either way though, Kyungsoo finally felt safe enough to bare his face out in the open again. The law student rubbed his hand up and down the first year’s arm comfortingly.

“What a way to Christen our boyfriendship, huh?” Kyungsoo couldn’t help but try to joke the situation off, knowing that he was going to be thinking about that moment for, like, a week. He tried to focus on the public humiliation aspect of it, and not the hot making out part. Otherwise, he would burst into flames right there in the middle of Ilsan Park, and not even the nearby lake would be able to extinguish his burning embarrassment.

“We’ll never see those people again, so don’t worry about it, _Kyungie-Kyungie-Soo-Soo,”_ Jongin said cheerily, making his boyfriend cringe at the horrible nickname Mark continued to use though the first year repeatedly protested against it. The two were nowhere near close anyway, which just intensified the weird vibes of the forced pet name. “Besides, I know just how to cheer you up.”

The singer prayed there wasn’t another Ferris wheel somewhere he could make a fool of himself on. In the end, he took the bait and asked what the other had in mind. The law student motioned to the stall he had walked them to. It was a gun shooting game, where the players had five corks to shoot three plushie cherries. The grimy sign atop the van the game was played out of read _‘Pop the Cherry!’_ in a tacky red bubble font. He was instantly excited, the musician was best at the shooting games after all, but one look back at the garish sign had him questioning his interests and hobbies.

Kyungsoo missed the first shot, as everyone does, using it as a test to gauge the gun. The next two hit the centre and left cherries. He narrowly missed his fourth effort, blaming the irregularities of the cork, and officially “popped the cherry” with the final shot. Jongin hooted after every shot he got, as a faithful cheerleader, and the nineteen year old felt a wave of gratitude wash over him. He never thought that he’d date someone who accepted him and all his eccentricities. Of course, there was still a lot about himself for the older to discover, but Jongin had handled everything he’d found out about Kyungsoo thus far with great sensitivity and encouragement. Even Baekhyun and Chanyeol didn’t really understand the first year’s fixation with carnival games, so it was that much more special to see Jongin supporting him. He vowed to show the same unconditional support for the lawyer-to-be, if any such absurdities were to arise.

Kyungsoo didn’t want it to just be him having all the fun and Jongin watching, so he advocated for the other to play as well. The second year agreed on the condition that the shorter help him. So, the two stood chest-to-back, with Kyungsoo behind the elder. He helped position the taller’s stance and aided with the aim. Though most of the turn was spent with Jongin acting dumb for the sake of having Kyungsoo pressed against him, he still only ended up shooting two of the three cherries.

“Look how much smaller my bear is than yours.” Jongin pouted, comparing the sizes of the prizes the two won from _‘Pop the Cherry!’_. They were both brown teddy bears, and apart from the size difference, they matched completely. Even their little bow-ties were the same.

“Let’s swap.” Kyungsoo suggested, taking the plushie out of the older’s hands and replacing it with his own one. When the taller asked him why, the shorter smiled brightly up at the other. “It’s a thing couples do all the time. Besides, I’m the small bear and you’re the big bear.”

The neon lights of the surrounding stalls and rides glowed rainbows along Jongin’s skin, bathing him in colourful illumination. As he grinned with sincere joy, he looked like a psychedelic angel. Strangely enough, it reminded the younger of Hyunsik’s artwork that he’d shown Kyungsoo. He didn’t particularly want to remember the science major, having ignored all his messages and attempted calls over the past four days. Ironically enough though, his digital painting captured the essence of Jongin’s free flowing aura of happiness and honesty perfectly.

“I think this calls for a celebration!” Kyungsoo chirped, tugging Jongin to the side by the arm, not wanting to get in the crowd’s way of playing the shooting game they themselves had just finished. Jongin tilted his head, brow slightly furrowed due to the boy’s words.

“I thought this whole evening was kind of a celebration..?”

“Yeah, so like… A celebration within a celebration, then.” The singer explained, pulling the pepero packet out of his back jeans pocket, shaking it teasingly in front of the other’s face. “I’ve decided to share!”

The two smiled as they munched on a couple of the sticks. Kyungsoo started out by poking fun at the elder’s gun aim, and eventually Jongin retaliated by reminiscing over the club party from two months ago. The younger’s face paled when the taller recalled all the details, from the beer stain on Kyungsoo’s shirt to the way he had yelled for Jongin and promptly sat in his lap when he’d found him. The first year wanted to try and embarrass the other back again, but decided it wasn’t the lowest blow Jongin could’ve gone for - the ferris wheel thing would’ve stung far worse. And as a reward, he chose to not push it. Instead, he silenced the other by beginning to feed the next pepero stick to the law student.

The second year nibbled along the chocolate-coated biscuit, his piercing stare making Kyungsoo focus on watching him eat rather than returning his eye-contact. Of course, the older was an adorable eater too, reminding the younger of Baekhyun’s childhood pet: a little rabbit named Aeri. He’d loved the grey bunny, though he never really understood why Baek had given her a small collar with the letter ‘L’ on it, considering her name didn’t even contain the letter. The other singer had said he was just drawn to it in the store, but Kyungsoo himself just found it weird. But then again, that was Baekhyun for you.

When the older drew close to finishing the snack, Kyungsoo remained holding on to the end of the treat. Jongin gripped the stick with his teeth, sliding it out of the shorter’s grasp, delivering delicate kisses to Kyungsoo’s fingertips. The action wasn’t grand, especially not compared with what they’d gotten up to earlier in the night, but the air between them was still and the loud buzzing around them faded into white noise. The moment seemed… intimate. They continued to watch each other until the musician could no more. His ears burned again, and he looked over the taller’s shoulder before his gaze dropped to the ground.

“I can’t believe you’d do that in front of your sister.”

“What? Wait, Krystal?” Jongin seemed surprised by the revelation, shocked out of their previous moment. He turned to look behind him and around their general area.

“Yeah, this is at least the third time she and her female friend have walked passed, watching us every time.” Kyungsoo pointed to the two dark haired girls who pretended to look over a single carnival pamphlet between them, the unknown girl glancing back at the two men. She quickly averted her eyes again.

They were walking twenty feet away from them, amongst the busy crowd, but Kyungsoo had instantly recognised the Kim sibling. However, she, unlike Jongdae, was not alone. Also, they were very obviously looking at _him,_ so he supposed it wouldn’t be the most opportune time to go introduce himself.

“Oh my goodness, um- I didn’t know-” Jongin turned back to the shorter, his eyes wide and pleading as he stuttered.

“It’s okay.” The first year almost laughed at how genuinely the taller wanted to placate him, but honestly, he didn’t mind. In fact, he totally got it. “They were probably just curious about me, and maybe Krystal’s just a little protective over her big brother. It’s fine, it doesn’t worry me. Promise.”

Jongin heaved a massive sigh of relief, and the singer could see the large weight lift off his shoulders. Kyungsoo wondered if interfering siblings had gotten in the second year’s way when it came to romance in the past. Either way, it wasn’t going to faze him. He still thought it sweet how close-knit their family seemed.

“May I ask who the other girl is, by the way?” Kyungsoo rubbed a hand up the length of the taller’s arm, hoping for it to come across as a reassurance that he wasn’t going to run for the hills at the first sign of trouble.

“My… cousin. Seulgi.”

“Well then, let’s give your sister and cousin something to watch.” Kyungsoo smiled wickedly, snaking his arm up to the back of the law student’s neck, pulling him down for a chaste kiss. Jongin seemed hesitant but relaxed quickly enough. The nineteen year old could taste the chocolate on the older’s mouth. He licked his lips as he pulled away, glancing at the place where the two girls had been moments ago. They were gone, but Kyungsoo was satisfied either way, knowing he did it more for himself than for them.

Having had enough of walking through game stalls and food carts, the two decided that it was time to hit the real rides. Well, Kyungsoo decided and Jongin readily agreed, the first year knowing that there was no way he could humiliate himself on a rollercoaster as much as he had on that Ferris wheel. Unless he threw up on himself, everyone else on the ride and all the people below. But even karma had its limits, right? ...He hoped he hadn’t jinxed it.

“How many tickets do we have left?”

“Enough, considering I just won us ten more.” Kyungsoo wasn’t usually such a show-off, but he felt comfortable enough around the elder to jokingly flaunt his natural affinity with party games in front of him. They had their arms linked again, and the shorter pulled the second year’s sleeve, stopping in his tracks. “Woah, can we ride that next?”

A ride that looked like a massive slingshot bounced a small bundle of people up and down in the air. The riders were in a central bubble, which looked to only be restricted from being flung across the country by two thick, stretchy ropes. The blinking light above the queue read in yellow and blue lights: _‘The Pants Wetter’._ Seriously, who named these things?

“Aren’t you afraid of heights?” Jongin looked sceptical of the younger’s earlier claim, yet still willingly agreed to give the ride a go. Kyungsoo knew he himself was going to be freaking out as soon as they stepped in line, but the law major seemed impressively nonplussed.

“I told you, I’m a _daredevil_. On an entirely unrelated note, I think I’m going to use the port-a-potty first. Meet you back here?” Kyungsoo handed their small collection of ride tickets over to the elder, giving a thumbs up when Jongin nodded affirmatively. He turned and wandered in the general direction he remembered the restroom sign to be, hoping he didn’t get lost along the way.

Jongin, however, was thankful for the opportunity to call Jongdae without the chance of being overheard by the first year. He walked a bit further away from the ride the pair had agreed upon, standing to the side where it was slightly less noisy. He dialed his top contact. They picked up on the second ring.

“Hey, it’s me. Close call earlier.”

_“You’re telling me, I almost shit myself when I saw him dragging you up to me. How’d he even know who I am?”_

“I don’t know… But it’s not surprising, we’re not exactly as under the radar at college as we had hoped we’d be.”

_“Hah! That’s rich coming from you. Befriending humans against direct instruction… May I remind you we’re here because of you? You’re so on the radar, I’m pretty sure you invented it.”_

“Touché. Anyway, what’s the verdict? Do you think the C-Clan are here?” Jongin looked around as he whispered into the receiver, making sure there was no one he recognised nearby. Just a bunch of preoccupied teenagers and bored parents, nothing suspicious.

 _“Nah, not seen ‘em. I’m pretty sure you’re good. Seulgi and Krystal have nothing to report either… Well, except that you’re totally whipped for a saucy little thing. Apparently, you two put on quite the show for the ladies.”_ The second year was glad the other couldn’t see his fiery complexion. It had been so unexpected when Kyungsoo had grabbed him and kissed him in front of who the former thought to be his sister and cousin. At the time, the law student was so tense learning that the singer had found out about their surveillance but thank goodness he had misunderstood. Either way though, he really liked how the shorter had initiated it, and he hadn’t missed the intended meaning behind it. God, he really did like the human far too much.

“Right.” The younger of the two cleared both his throat and his thoughts of the nineteen year old’s plump lips descending on his own. “What about Junmyeon?”

_“He and Yix are getting a couple’s massage or some shit. Sehun organised it, setting it up as a last activity together before Yix leaves. Jun doesn’t know anything. But…”_

“But?” Everything so far had sounded to be going perfectly. He really owed Krystal, Seulgi and Sehun for their help. And of course Jongdae, but the taller remained stubborn that some of the responsibility rested on the elder’s shoulders, considering as it was the third year’s suggestion that led to Jongin dating Kyungsoo in the first place. Even though everyone and their mum knew it was going to have happened one way or another, with or without the history student’s nudging.

_“Nothing too big, just… Yixing knows.”_

“What? How? Yixing can’t keep a secret from Junmyeon! They’re alone together in a couple’s activity right now. He’s totally going to tell!”

 _“Firstly, calm down Romeo. Sehun accidently let it slip, but he’s totally supportive, and promised to keep the secret. This is Yix we’re talking about, he’s got our backs. Secondly, don’t give me gross mental imagery of the two lying naked next to each other on a massage table.”_ The taller took a deep breath, knowing that the healer would do all in his power to not tell their clan leader if he promised as much. To be honest, Jongin was really going to miss the second eldest vampire while he was away. Yixing had a bright energy about him, and he was also the clan’s peacekeeper. The younger vampire begged that neither Junmyeon nor Sehun got into a fight with anyone while the Chinese clanmate was absent.

“Okay… Yeah you’re right, I trust him. But while I have you, how’d things go with Mark?”

_“Shut up. I can’t believe you left me alone with that guy. He already knows who we are, which just adds another layer of weirdness. Thank goodness he quickly realised I know next to nothing about Minseok, otherwise he woulda been all over me.”_

Jongin just laughed in response. He felt bad for piling another problem onto Jongdae’s plate, who was already doing the younger a massive favour by orchestrating this whole evening. But at the same time, he always enjoyed when Jongdae got annoyed and whiney, it was beyond entertaining.

 _“On a more serious note, you really should tell Junmyeon at some point. Some point soon. He’ll be mad, yeah. But we both know he’s not a bad guy, he wants to protect people just as much as we do, if not more. He’ll want what’s best for Kyungsoo, too.”_ Jongdae had the decency to sound gentle, whilst delivering the cold hard truth. The sudden advice had Jongin’s mood turning sombre, but he was still infinitely glad to have the older by his side. He considered himself the luckiest person to have met Jongdae when he did, all those years ago. They’d been inseparable for so long, he couldn’t think of anyone else he would rather have turned with.

“I know, and that’s the problem. We both know what the best thing for Kyungsoo is, and that’s not me... “ Jongin kept scanning his surroundings, spotting the object of his affections walking back towards their agreed meeting place. Kyungsoo walked merrily, getting distracted by another carnival game. It had something to do with water guns and balloons, that’s all that the second year could make out from his viewpoint. The game master talked into a headset microphone, instructing the current players on the rules while tucking used tickets into their bum bag. The venue was bolted to the side of a sturdy truck, and the short nineteen year old stood staring up at the prize wall. It was made of thick iron metal and stood an imposing twenty feet into the air.

The vampire felt immediately saddened. He was doing the human a great disservice, he already knew as much. He didn't need Junmyeon to remind him he could never be happy, it was a truth he was all too aware of. His voice turned small, and he felt like he was back to being that scared and wounded twenty year old boy who had cried his eyes out in Jongdae’s embrace during their last day as humans.

“I don't know if I can be selfless, Dae. _I don't know if I can give him up.”_ It was almost too loud around him for his weak confession to be heard over the phone, but he knew Jongdae have received the message either way.

_“It's going to be okay, alright? We're all gonna work this out together, everything will be fine-”_

The reassurance was cut off as Jongin’s life flashed before his eyes. His blood ran cold as he watched the expansive prize wall teeter towards the walkway, people still milling around underneath. _Kyungsoo still standing right in front of it._

Jongin dropped his phone, sprinting in the direction of the water gun game. He wasn't far away. That didn't matter though, the wall began falling, and falling fast. There wasn't enough time. People noticed, a few screams erupting around him. Kyungsoo didn't have time to run out of its way. Jongin knew it was dangerous. He shouldn't break his rules for the younger. They were in a very public place. But he had to, Kyungsoo was going to get crushed. There was no way he could save him. He squeezed his eyes shut, begging that no one saw what he was about to do. The vampire ripped through the physical dimension and grabbed the boy in front of him. Doing it a second time was harder, having to pull the other with him. He zapped close by, pressing the human’s face into his neck. He didn't want Kyungsoo to see him being teleported away. The nineteen year old had instinctually fisted the material of Jongin’s shirt when he'd been enveloped.

“Are you okay? You're not hurt, right?” Jongin cupped the younger’s face with his hands, eyes searching for any injuries.

“J-Jongin?” Kyungsoo whispered his name, his hands still clenching the older’s shirt, his arms having snaked beneath Jongin’s denim jacket. The law student looked into the musician's eyes, seeing a startled haze of confusion. “How did you...What-”

“I saw it falling and was close by, I ran and grabbed you. It’s okay, you're okay.” The vampire repeated the consoling words Jongdae had told him earlier, beyond relieved that Kyungsoo was alright, and yet not believing the sentiment he spoke of at all. “Everything will be fine.”

Everything was hectic. People ran towards the fallen slab of metal and others sprinted away, some yelling aimlessly and some shouting with authority. As soon as Kyungsoo realised what had happened, he pushed out of the taller’s hold. He ran to help a group of men who tried to lift the corner of the heavy material off another man's leg. Jongin was close behind, and the two helped in any way they could. Only three people were injured: one with a broken leg, one with a broken arm and one with just a dislocated shoulder. Thankfully, none were fatal and all three would be fine soon. The wall had just so happened to fall when there was a gap of people, sans Kyungsoo. If Jongin hadn't saved him… the first year didn't want to think about it.

Jongdae, Krystal and Seulgi had all shown up at the scene almost immediately after it happened, so Jongin had gone to speak with them. Kyungsoo stayed with Minho, who had the injured leg, while they waited for the paramedics. The twenty-eight year old man was surprisingly brave. He didn’t cry, and he even managed to make a joke about getting the carnival company to pay for the medical bill. The singer kept talking to him, hoping to distract him from the pain until the doctors arrived and brushed him away.

Kyungsoo then stood and stared at the fallen piece of metal. He remembered absentmindedly standing in front of it in order to get a better viewing angle on the water-balloon filling game. He hadn't noticed the game previously, so it had easily piqued his interest. Added to that, he hadn't yet found Jongin, so he thought he'd watch a round. Looking down at the dangerous slab, he saw what was almost a fatal injury for him. He knew how heavy it was, from trying to help a group lift it off Minho’s leg, and it was _heavy._ He’d almost d…

“My goodness, Kyungsoo!” The nineteen year old was startled to hear his own name being called, turning to see a woman jog up to him. Irene ran the tutorial for first year musical theory at his college, and also lectured Baekhyun for the second year continuation of the subject. She was new this semester and was incredibly friendly with all her students, not afraid to start a conversation. Her usual polite smile was replaced with a look of worry as she scanned his body. “Are you alright? I saw you in front of the wall right before it fell, how did you get away?”

Kyungsoo shook his head and smiled at her concern. Though sweet, he didn't need her worry. Not when others had actually gotten hurt.

“Thank you for checking up on me, Irene, but fortunately I'm fine. My boyfriend pushed me out of the way, I'm really lucky.” He wasn't sure the etiquette for such a situation, should he ask if she was fine too?

“Ah, I'm so glad. I’m here with my family.” She motioned behind her, though Kyungsoo couldn't make out anyone as obviously being with her, but there was a large number of people crowding around the area. “So, I understand how easily it could have been any of us. I'm glad you're alright, and I understand if you won't be in class on Monday. You should take some time.”

Out of his peripheral, Kyungsoo could see Jongin approach the pair. He thanked Irene again, and she disappeared back into the gathering mass.

“Would you like me to take you home now?” Jongin touched Kyungsoo’s shoulder tentatively, as if the latter could explode at any second. He also looked guilty, though nothing that had gone wrong was his fault. Kyungsoo jumped back into Jongin’s arms, burying his face in the taller’s chest. The law student stroked along the shorter’s back, nuzzling into his hair.

“How many times are you going to have to protect and save me?” The younger asked exasperatedly, when he raised his head to look into the other's eyes. “This is number three, already.”

“Four, if you include the party two months ago. You _were_ pretty out of it.” Kyungsoo appreciated the humour, but really did feel like a burden. He managed a frail chuckle, at least, and that seemed to perk up the elder. “C’mon, put this on, you're freezing.”

The two let go of each other after the smaller shivered. Jongin took off his jacket, wrapping it around the younger, and returned to hug him. Kyungsoo loved how the second year's scent wrapped around him just as securely as his arms did. He smelt _safe_. And the nineteen year old needed that so much in that moment.

“Let's take you home.”

Kyungsoo barely remembered the trip back to the college dorms. Just that he'd clung onto Jongin as they walked out of the park grounds, and how he'd wished he could continue to cling to the other while he drove. Soon, though, they'd parked as close as possible and started the trek to the residential building on foot.

There had been silence most of the way, but it hadn’t been uncomfortable. He still got to hold onto the taller tight, so he was as okay as he could be. He was still wracked with shivers, even with Jongin’s jacket over his own sweater.

The law major pulled out his phone when it buzzed and quickly replied to a text, the screen having a crack on it Kyungsoo didn't recall seeing there earlier. When he asked after it, though, the older just said he'd dropped it. Either way, it reminded him that he didn't want to spend the night alone in his dorm with only his thoughts, so he decided he should text Baekhyun. He messaged the musical second year, asking if he could stay as his and Chanyeol’s dorm. Baek replied a moment later, saying of course he could, and that Chanyeol was out anyway.

Jongin had seemed hesitant to enter the building, but when Kyungsoo could barely scan his student card by himself, he'd offered to walk him all the way to his dorm. Which had, of course, turned into Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s dorm. Before knocking on their door, though, the second year turned to face the younger, creating a bit of distance between them.

“Look, Kyungsoo. I just wanted to say I'm so sorry. I took you out tonight, and it was my responsibility to make our first date special. It went really badly, and-”

“Stop. Our date didn't go badly. The date part of the night went really well, actually.” Kyungsoo reached out to hold the taller’s hands, enjoying the comfort of the physical touch. After everything that happened during the night, he didn't want either of them to let the final incident eclipse those good memories. Continuing to reassure the other, he felt his blush grow, but remained stubborn to look the other in the eyes as he spoke. “Don't feel guilty about the accident, okay? It wasn't your fault. If you want to feel bad about something, feel bad about ruining my good reputation in front of all those people in the Ferris wheel line.”

Jongin laughed in shock, clearly having forgotten about their impassioned, and uncomfortably public, kissing. He didn't look so sorrowful anymore, and so Kyungsoo took that as a success. Jongin stared down at him with an openly adoring look. It made the shorter’s frightful jitters dissipate for a moment, and so he gave a quick peck to the older’s mouth.

“Thank you so much for tonight. For everything.” He whispered finally against Jongin’s soft lips, lowering himself from the tips of his toes. Still engaged in eye contact with the second year, he knocked on Baek’s door thrice.

The door opened straight away, revealing a smirking man wearing chipmunk-printed pyjamas. He looked between the two happily.

“I've been listening pretty much the whole time by the way, you're not at all quiet.” The couple flushed in unison, turning slightly away from each other. The thought to just bolt had probably crossed the lawyer-to-be’s mind, but before he could action any plan, Baekhyun quickly thrust his hand out in Jongin’s direction. “Byun Baekhyun, it's so good to _finally_ meet the man who's been sweeping Soo off his feet.”

The tallest of the three seemed the most nervous, shaking the other second year's hand as he introduced himself. Jongin made sure Kyungsoo was alright one last time before entrusting his care into his best friend's capable hands.

“Nice jacket, you get it from the Jongin souvenir shop?” Baekhyun asked once he'd sat them both down on the bed with a cup of tea each. Well, technically it was actually two beds. The dorm already had the pair of single beds, but then Chanyeol and Baekhyun had started dating, so at some point they'd pushed them together and bought a double bed duvet.

“I forgot to give it back… I hope he doesn't need it before I can return it to him.” Kyungsoo was slightly lost in his own thoughts, everything churning in his mind as he finally began processing the events of the past few hours. He brushed his fingers over the rough material of the denim over his shoulders, his fingers twirling the loose threads at the cuff.

“Okay… So are you going to tell me about how he ‘ruined your reputation’ on a Ferris wheel? I want all the gory details.” Baekhyun was pumped to hear about the date, considering that Kyungsoo said it went really well himself. The younger hadn't really dated much, so now that a potentially serious relationship was blooming, his best friend wanted to hear all about it. “That’s why you came, after all, right? To spill the beans?”

“Ah… Actually.” Kyungsoo hesitated. How did he tell Baekhyun that he thought that Jongin was a little _too_ perfect, and that things weren’t adding up because of it? For the meantime, he thought he could play along, though. “Well, there was this accident… But I’ll talk about that later.”

Baekhyun nodded, also curious about what had happened that led to the hunky soccer player having to apologise to his best friend. He wrapped his hands around his mug, sipping his lemon tea while watching the younger collect his thoughts.

“Everything was amazing. We went on rides, played games, and even shared pepero.” Baekhyun raised his eyebrows, eyes widening in assumption. “A packet. Not- Anyway, we also went on the Ferris wheel, because-”

“Because it’s your favourite, even though you used to cry going on them. Now you’re as stoic as stone and a total thrill seeker who goes on rides made for _grandma’s_ , we know.” Baekhyun nodded, wanting to get to the juicy stuff.

 _“Anyway,_ we were on the ride and… got a little side-tracked.” Kyungsoo blushed for the millionth time that night, hiding his face behind his mug. He couldn’t believe he had to explain this, let alone to someone who wasn’t going to let him live it down. “And we didn’t realise that it had finished…”

“And everyone around saw you macking on Casanova... Classy.” Baekhyun nodded his head in approval, taking a loud slurp of liquid. “You two seem to be pretty close, pretty fast. Well, I guess you’ve had those secret lunch dates… But still.”

Kyungsoo sipped his own hot beverage, thinking it tasted a little bitter. He enjoyed the warmth rolling down his throat, though, so he drank another large gulp.

“Yeah… But he introduced himself as my boyfriend to Mark!” The confession was enthusiastic but cut short. Lemon tea sprayed over the bedspread, a loud choking noise accompanying it.

“Mark?! What the hell was he-” a coughing fit, “doing there?” Baekhyun roared, running up and over to his kitchenette. He grabbed a thin roll of hand towels, tearing squares off and trying to absorb his drink and spit. Kyungsoo laughed but helped him try and clean up.

“Mmm, I don’t know, he just came up and started pinching my cheeks. Mark just being Mark. But I think you’re missing the point: Jongin and I are officially _together!”_ Kyungsoo threw the paper away, grabbing Baekhyun’s wrist and jumping up and down on his spot. His unabashed excitement had been bottled up all evening, not wanting to act crazy in front of his _boyfriend_ (!!!) but now, with his best friend, he could finally let it out.

The older singer jumped around too, honestly over the moon for his long-time bestie. Somewhere along the way, he started chanting about Kyungsoo and Jongin sitting in a tree. At that point, the younger slapped Baekhyun’s shoulder, grabbing a blanket and returning to the bed.

He snuggled with the taller, leaning his head on the other’s shoulder. He had so many emotions from the night swirling around. He was overjoyed about him and Jongin now being official, he was a little shaken from the near-death experience at the conclusion of the night, and… confused. Confused about exactly _how_ he had avoided death. Having gone through the happier feelings, he wanted to move on to talk about the other thoughts to who he saw as his human diary.

“But then… the accident happened.” Kyungsoo couldn’t keep the frown off his face nor the gravelly tone from his voice. Under the blanket, Baekhyun grabbed the smaller’s hand and squeezed it. “This big metal wall, with all the plushies and prizes pinned to it… fell. I was right in front of it. If Jongin hadn’t- I wouldn’t-”

“Shh, shh.” The older cooed, taking Kyungsoo’s drink from him and directing his head to the taller’s chest. He hugged the younger closely, all of a sudden seriously grateful to the law major. Baekhyun already knew about what had happened with Hyunsik, and he hated the other first year for it, but was thankful that Jongin was there to protect his closest friend. To hear that the fellow second year had done it again, Baekhyun couldn’t ever hope to repay him. “He was there, you’re okay.”

“I know.” Kyungsoo’s voice was muffled by the older’s pyjama shirt, and so he raised his head out of Baekhyun’s hold, his nose reddened. “But that’s just it…”

Letting out a frustrated sigh, the younger flopped down, head landing on Chanyeol’s pillow. He felt crazy, fixating on such little things, but it had been nagging him. He’d tried to ignore it earlier, but after the accident, he couldn’t _not_ voice his thoughts aloud to someone.

“Okay, bear with me.” Kyungsoo dragged his hands over his face, wanting to start from the beginning. “Last Tuesday, Jongin got these massive scratch marks all over his arms from when he’d held Hyunsik up against a wall. The next day, at the soccer game, the were literally _gone._ I asked him about it, and he said they’d just cleared up? But they were so _big_ and _bleeding_ , there’s just no way.”

Baekhyun didn’t speak, lying down next to the other, facing him with a frown. Both their drinks sat on the bedside table, cold and forgotten.

“And tonight, when he saved me. He grabbed me, like in a hug. I know the whole thing happened so quickly, but I remember that moment. We didn’t _move._ ” Kyungsoo turned to look imploringly at the elder, hoping he understood. Baekhyun had a blank look, like everything had just gone over his head.

“What do you mean you didn’t move? Didn’t he, like, push you out of the way or something?”

“Exactly! He would have had to, right? For me to have moved from that spot right underneath the wall, he would have had to push me, or I would have had to run. But neither of those two things happened. I didn't move a single step. One second I was there, then my face was pressed into Jongin’s chest and we were next to the fallen wall.”

Baekhyun blinked and took a deep breath. He opened his mouth, then closed it. The older settled on reaching out to stroke the other’s arm, a soft smile in place.

“I’m sure the whole thing was a lot to take in, and I understand that. Maybe we should just try and rest a bit for now. You can talk things through with Jongin himself later, if you’re still worried about it tomorrow.” Kyungsoo sighed again, of course Baekhyun thought he was crazy, the younger almost did himself.

But he just didn’t understand. Too many things turned out to be strange coincidences: how Krystal and their cousin had wanted to follow them around, how Jongdae had been there too, and how when he came to the site after the wall had fallen, he had no friends with him. The third year had told Kyungsoo earlier he was there to meet his buddies, but there was no one else with him when he showed up and talked with Jongin. Was he also just there being protective, like the two girls? Something smelt fishy to Kyungsoo, and it wasn’t the Bungeoppang.

“Here, you can borrow some of my pj’s,” Baekhyun said, rifling through his drawers. He picked up an old shirt and sweatpants, flinging them across the room to the first year. Kyungsoo sat up on the bed, catching them before they landed on his face.

“Where is Chan, by the way? It’s late, shouldn’t he be here?” He asked, having given up on the previous conversation with the elder for now. He thought it was actually a good idea to ask Jongin about it on Monday, being upfront was always the best option, and the law student had been the more level-headed out of the two of them at the time. It only made sense that he’d remember the events the clearest.

“Pulling an all-nighter with Jaebum. There’s a group project due tomorrow morning, what’s the bet they spent most of the night playing Fortnite anyway?” The older singer picked up their tepid tea and rinsed the mugs in the sink. Kyungsoo took off Jongin’s jacket and folded it, his mind realising something while on the subject of the IT student.

“You and Chanyeol haven’t done anything gross since you washed these sheets, right?”

“Uhhhh… You might want to sleep on the floor.” Baekhyun at least had the decency to look sheepish as he returned to the bed, sliding under the covers. Groaning as he did so, Kyungsoo got up to go to the bathroom and change clothes.

“Ugh, just don’t tell me what exactly you did and I’ll be fine.” The nineteen year old really didn’t want to lie on the itchy carpet all night, and he also still craved the comfort of Baekhyun’s physical contact. “Ignorance is bliss, after all.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: This chapter contains some depictions of violence/blood, it's fairly minor but please be careful if you're sensitive to such things!

The day after the carnival, Baekhyun had decided to take Kyungsoo out for a fun Sunday bonding session at the local shopping centre. They met there with Chanyeol after he had finished his assignment, and even saw Minseok while he was on break from the shoe store he worked at.

There had been plenty to keep the first year’s mind occupied, such as the intense round of bowling with the competitive second year singer, but Kyungsoo couldn’t seem to shake the thoughts that haunted him. _The accident. Jongin_. There was something strange that the nineteen-year-old couldn’t quite put his finger on, and it wouldn't let him rest.

Though he made it through that Sunday with nothing more than a few distractions, his curiosity finally grew to unbearable levels only the next day.

Kyungsoo hated civil law, with all its _pre-filing_ and _tort claims_. The musician yawned a total of forty-three times within the span of an hour-long lecture, and only remained awake by trying to distract himself from the content he was actually supposed to be learning (the distraction was counting how many times he yawned).

The first year had been so excited at the prospect of choosing electives in varying fields, increasing his awareness in areas of life he had no prior knowledge about. Chanyeol had insisted that the younger choose a law unit, claiming that the building was the one with the best heating and air conditioning. And while the second year was extremely correct about that, the constantly cozy surroundings did nothing to help with what turned out to be the least interesting subject the usually optimistic singer had ever encountered.

The music student had to admit though, the law building was better than all the others on campus. The floors were carpeted, walls free of posters and graffiti and the ceilings never leaked. There were even student-available coffee machines on every level. The performing arts faculty would _never_.

Kyungsoo pat his cheeks in an attempt to wake himself up as he began leaving the lecture theatre. He wondered if Minseok knew anything about civil law, and if he’d be willing to attend the exam for the younger. Anyone would get a better mark than Kyungsoo himself, he was sure.

“Yes, I’m still worrying about Junmyeon’s reaction to finding out about Kyungsoo, but I’m going to tell him tonight.” The first year stopped walking suddenly, trying to figure out who had said his name. The corridors were basically deserted, so it had to have been someone around the corner. “It was such a close call on Saturday… _They’re really after him, Dae.”_

What the singer immediately recognised as Jongin’s voice spoke with a far more fragile tone than he was used to. _Someone’s after who? It couldn't be Kyungsoo, could it? Were they talking about the accident at the carnival?_ Kyungsoo’s interest was piqued, and so he hid around the corner to find out more details. He told himself it wasn’t eavesdropping if they were talking out in an open area, ignoring the fact that they clearly thought they had privacy in the virtually empty hallways.

“Whatever you've chosen to do, is your decision. Jun knows that, he'll help. Maybe he'll even know how the C-Clan got there undetected, if it was even them.” It was Jongdae, Jongin’s adoptive older brother, that was talking with him. But about _what_ exactly? Kyungsoo’s curiosity was growing exponentially.

“Oh, it was definitely them,” Jongin growled, his voice growing louder and more frustrated. “Argh, I really like Kyungsoo, so what? Can’t they just leave us alone?!”

There was a loud metal clanking sound that startled the nineteen-year-old out of his bashful state. It was still novel to hear Jongin admit his feelings, but he also sounded so angry. The first year was confused, and now also worried. Who or what was the ‘C-Clan’, and what had they done to upset the Kim brothers so much?

“We are part of an all-powerful, prestigious clan. Of course there are going to be people who want to take that from us. Don’t worry, Nini, we won’t let them get away with it.” At least Jongdae still sounded calm, but who referred to their family as a clan? That is, if he even was referring to his family. _They weren’t in a gang, were they?_

“Like hell they will. If they try anything else, I’ll attack them like a half-blood in phase.” Jongin’s voice was less terse, it seemed he’d calmed down some. However, Kyungsoo was more confused than ever: _what in the world was a ‘half-blood in phase’?_

Knowing he’d quickly forget the phrase, but wanting to keep it documented, the student whipped out his phone and made a new note. He quickly typed out the strange words the second year used, along with ‘C-Clan’, as he heard Jongdae’s soft speech again.

The third year instructed the other to continue the conversation later, saying that the hallway wasn’t the right place for such a discussion. Kyungsoo unconsciously widened his eyes, fearful that the two would come closer and catch him red-handed. The corridors were so clean, there was nowhere to hide. _At least that’s something the arts building has on law_ , Kyungsoo thought dryly, waiting to be seen.

With extreme luck, the footsteps sounded quieter as the seconds past, letting the first year know that the pair walked in the opposite direction to him. A sigh of relief escaped as Kyungsoo stared down at his phone screen - what was he going to do with this?

_A decision best left for later,_ the nineteen-year-old thought as he put his phone away and made sure to leave the building via the side stairs. He didn’t want to run into the duo, knowing he’d immediately admit his wrongdoing of listening-in on their conversation if he faced them.

He’d been excited to see Jongin again, having earlier imagined a lovely reunion hug as official boyfriends, maybe even accompanied by an innocent kiss on the cheek. However, hearing the fragment of the Kim brothers’ exchange quickly turned the fluttering giddiness into something akin to suspicion. Though, of what, Kyungsoo was still unsure.

Shaking off what just happened, Kyungsoo made his way to the outdoor seating area, planning on clearing his head by spending lunch with his friends. Both Minseok and Chanyeol were sharing a plate of nachos at the group’s regular table. Baekhyun would still be in class for the next two hours, so the first year wasn’t surprised by his absence.

“Hey Juliet! Where’s Romeo?” Chanyeol cupped his hands around his mouth as he shouted, having spotted Kyungsoo as he approached them. Other students seated nearby turned at the public announcement and the first year blushed under the attention.

“Stop it! Is it so hard to believe I’m dating someone?” Kyungsoo asked as he smacked the back of the IT student’s head for embarrassing him. His friends were more trouble than they were worth, except for Minseok, so he turned to the third year as he spoke next. “What are you guys talking about, anyway?”

“Oh, just about how Mark showed up while I was on shift.” The business major peeled the cheese off the tortilla chip and ate it plain, flicking the melted blob onto the one Chanyeol was about to eat.

“Wait, at ‘Shoes for the Sole’? When?” Kyungsoo finally took his normal seat next to Minseok and across from Baekhyun’s empty spot. He dived into the shared snack, not caring who had payed for it.

“After we saw him on his break yesterday.” Chanyeol cut in, chasing a clump of guacamole around the plate. “He pretended it was by accident, but like, he totally knew Min worked there. He’s so obvious.”

“And creepy.” The singer added, nodding his head sympathetically when the third year appended _‘amen to that’._

“In other news, Byun said you two saw Kim Sehun _without_ Krystal yesterday. Was it really as weird as he made it out to be?” Minseok looked judgingly as Kyungsoo scooped a selfish amount of salsa onto one chip.

The first year frowned as he thought about it, the tower of dip falling back on the plate as he stopped focussing on balancing it. Before Chanyeol had arrived on Sunday, both Baekhyun and himself _had_ run into Sehun. Well, seen him from a distance, since the second year had made them hide behind an advertisement screen as they watched. But in their defence, it had been a really strange occurrence. Beyond the fact that ‘Kim Twin Number 1’ was without his matching counterpart, which he _never_ was, he was also not _glaring._ In fact, he was all smiles, shy laughter and friendly shoulder slaps. He had been outside some kind of spa or salon, talking to another man. A shorter, cuter man, and if the unexpected friend hadn’t been wearing a uniform with the spa’s logo on it, Kyungsoo would have thought the two were on a date. Indeed, all the giggling and skinship kind of reminded the first year about how he had been with Jongin that Saturday, and he just hoped he’d not been as embarrassingly smitten as the usually glaring first year and the mystery man were.

After discussing the Sehun matter far longer than it deserved, considering none of the three had ever even spoken to the guy, the conversation turned to soccer and the first year zoned out.

Kyungsoo scraped the last of the dried cheese off the edge of the empty plate, mourning the loss of food and the distraction it offered, when he felt the vibration of his phone against his thigh. He opened the text, a mixture of excitement and dread flooding his belly when he saw it was from Jongin. _‘we should hang out again sometime soon, i’ve gotta clear my name after the bad ending on Sat’_ it read, and Kyungsoo was immediately relieved. He was paranoid that Jongin was going to call him out for his suspicions, or for eavesdropping, but thankfully it was neither of those things.

Another buzz. _‘something more safe, I promise ><’_. The emote was a surprise, considering Jongin was the type to take the time to spell out each word properly, and insert correct punctuation, but it was a nice surprise. Kyungsoo almost slapped himself for somehow being enamoured by the way the older typed his texts and giddy that he was getting to know the other better.

Brainstorming his reply, Kyungsoo thought about his schedule, and where he stood with Jongin. He wanted to do some research on the buzzwords in his phone’s notes before facing the elder, definitely. He also had a test coming up, which set a stone of panic deep in his stomach at the mere thought of, so he wasn’t sure when he’d be able to squeeze in another date. Or if, for his personal safety, he even should. What if Jongin really was in some sort of gang?

Focussing on the matter at hand, Kyungsoo typed out a quick message saying he’d love to, but that he had an exam for civil law coming up. Almost immediately (was Jongin just sitting and waiting for his response?), another vibration followed as the words _‘perfect!! I’m a law major after all, I’ll help you study :)’_ popped up on his screen. The singer sighed, he could really use all the help he could get - there was no way he was going to refuse that offer.

Kyungsoo confirmed, remembering to say he’d return the older’s denim jacket as well, and couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face. Was it bad that he mightn’t even care if Jongin really _was_ in a gang?

“Ohoho! I bet three back rubs that Kyung is texting lawyer lover boy right now!” Chanyeol’s voice invaded Kyungsoo’s thoughts as he was reminded he wasn’t sitting alone.

“Shut up, was not.” The smile disappeared and Kyungsoo pouted and frowned at the second year. He didn’t even care that he was blatantly lying, he hated seeing the way Chanyeol smirked at him with the self-assured tilt of his head.

“Hah, yeah right! Make sure to dig your fingers into my neck, Min.” Chanyeol gestured rolling his thumbs as if showing the third year the proper technique. “I want deep tissue work done with those massages.”

“Fuck off, I never agreed to that.” Minseok wiped the dollop of sour cream in front of Kyungsoo off the metal table with a napkin, scrunching it up and putting it on the empty paper plate.

“Also, I wasn't even texting him?” The first year's claim went on deaf ears as even Minseok didn't look convinced.

The second year continued to argue that a bet’s a bet while the business major refused, saying that giving Chanyeol back rubs was Baekhyun’s job. Kyungsoo rested his head on his palm, glad for the distraction when his phone buzzed again. He didn't even notice the silence settle over the table as he read the message: _‘haha thanks for remembering! also, text me when you get home safely, yeah? I know you're fully capable but after Sat I just wanna make sure ( ˘ ³˘)♥’_

“Huh, that's funny. It sure _looks_ like that contact name says ‘Jongin’.”

Kyungsoo hunched over his phone reflexively and snapped his head to the side in surprise. Minseok was peeking over his shoulder and he smirked his small, rare smirk. Chanyeol roared in laughter, banging the table between them, entirely amused by the caught teen’s wide-eyed expression.

“The emoji’s cute. Unexpected, but sweet.” Minseok’s regular, genuine smile returned and Kyungsoo couldn't hold the nosiness against the older. Instead he looked down at his screen, and let his natural grin return. It really was sweet, wasn't it? The use of emotes was not something that the music student thought he would find so endearing, and yet here he was.

Kyungsoo replied to the message with an embarrassed acceptance, touched that the other wanted to check up on him. Jongin really cared for his safety, and that was probably the thing Kyungsoo liked most about him. Even if he was a complete gentleman, though, there were still things that bounced around the younger’s head. The cuts, the accident. He just couldn't let them go. He needed to look into the phrases he noted. Tonight. The faster he found out if there was something going on or not, the faster he could get back to his carefree college romance. God, how was he so conflicted between being smitten and suspicious?

Sadly, lunch came to an end for the student. He had another two-hour lecture followed by a lab practical to attend, while Minseok had a work shift and Chanyeol was free for the day, going to meet up with Baekhyun after the sandy blond’s last class. The subjects were pretty much a breeze for Kyungsoo, considering they were just first year units, so it wasn't too bad.

Straight after he clocked out of his audio editing lab at five in the evening, he headed straight over to the Ilsan Library. The bus ride was crowded, but not too long, so Kyungsoo managed to ignore the weird smell for the time being.

As soon as Kyungsoo sat down on one of the individual study desks, he took off his jacket and swapped it for his laptop in his backpack. Opening a web browser, and the note he had made earlier in his phone, Kyungsoo typed in ‘c-clan’ to the search bar. _Might as well give it a shot._

A definition of the word clan along with a hip-hop musical artist’s soundcloud appeared. Nothing helpful.

Kyungsoo sighed, disappointed but by no means surprised. ‘half-blood in phase’ was typed next.

The browser asked _“did you mean half-blood in phrase?”_ and the results mostly consisted of discourse about multi-ethnic people. Again, a total bust.

Undiscouraged, Kyungsoo went over to a desktop, and typed the same phrase into the library database. The catalogue showed one result, but gave no exert or description of the book. _Wild Flowers Worth Knowing,_ it was called, and was classified under the genre ‘supernatural fiction’. There were no records of anyone borrowing the book, ever, and the author’s name was documented as _‘but one of many’._ Seriously weird.

Kyungsoo was out of ideas, he’d honestly thought that searching through all the archives at the biggest library in Ilsandong-gu would bring up _something_ useful. Like, even a record of gangs listed in the areas? Yeah, he was still on the gang theory.

Sighing, he thought he might as well see what was up with the supernatural fiction book, considering he did actually somewhat enjoy the genre (not that he’d admit that to a soul). So, he left his stuff by the desk and climbed the staircase to the floor where the system said the novel would be kept. Sifting through the shelves, Kyungsoo couldn’t find it. It was definitely unborrowed, and supposed to be there, so where the hell was it?

“Great. I guess I’ll never know if I’m dating a thug or not.” Kyungsoo groaned to himself, crouching on the timber flooring by the last shelve in the genre. Honestly, _Wild Flowers Worth Knowing_ was fiction, and supernatural at that. It wasn’t like it was going to help him anyway.

“Tae, stop.” A feminine voice flitted over the stacks of novels and yellowed pages, a fragrant giggle making Kyungsoo frown at the sound. “Not here, I think there’s someone a couple aisles over.”

“Nobody reads these books, this place is always empty. C’mon, no one’s there.” A deeper voice harmonised with the higher-pitched breathy sounds.

Kyungsoo felt his face brighten, both for having been called out for his reading choices, which he tried not to take personally, and for what he was scared he was about to hear. The woman seemed to be convinced, and so the nineteen-year-old began panicking. A chorus of panting sounds started up, followed by a strange slurping which the crouching boy thought of as the final straw. Before anything could get too explicit, Kyungsoo grabbed the closest book he could reach, and whammed it against the side of the wooden shelf. The whacking noise echoed against the hard-back cover, making it louder than Kyungsoo anticipated.

A faint squeak escaped the woman as her companion swore under his breath.

“Yeah, yeah, we’re going, asshole. C’mon, Suzy, let’s go to the gardening section. We’ll have some privacy there.”

The pair seemed to walk away and the college student sighed in relief. Placing the book back where he’d hastily grabbed it from, his eyes glossed over the curvy letters of the spine: ‘ _Wild Flowers Worth Knowing ~ by but one of many’._

Kyungsoo frowned. Where had it been? He’d searched this whole shelf already!

_Oh well,_ Kyungsoo calmed himself down, standing up with what he’d just used as a percussive instrument, _it’s already helped me out once, maybe it’ll be useful after all._

The student returned to his desk, flipping over the novel to read the blurb on the back. _‘All you will read is true, but will read be all you truly do?’_ The book was old, that much was obvious. Beyond the weird wording of the blurb, the red cover was peeling and the gold lettering had long since lost its shine.

Finally opening the book up, there was a dedication page: _‘Weeds will appear for your annoyance, and thereby let themselves be cursed and plucked from the ground. Wild Flowers, however, will only bloom when necessary. The unique petals and leaves will heal the observer, and yet also distract them from reaching for the roots. Welcome, observer, and may your distraction be fruitful.’_

Kyungsoo quickly discovered that the novel was, well, _strange._ However, it did turn out to be exactly as the library database claimed - a fictional story about supernatural beings. The narrative began with a young man who had met the love of his life, only to become cautious around the other when he discovered his lover was a vampire. Most of it was ripped directly out of Twilight, in Kyungsoo’s opinion. Except, every time a new creature was introduced, the story was interrupted by a few fourth-wall-breaking pages describing it (which, again in Kyungsoo’s opinion, was purely due to crappy writing from the author).

Around an hour and a half of reading the novel later, when the dumb protagonist finally does some of his own research on vampires, he read about something called a half-blood. The adjacent information page described them as a terrifying half-breed between vampires and dead humans that rise from graves and ravage on any living animal they see. Kyungsoo thought the description pretty disturbing for something written for teen romance readers, but got over it quickly as he flicked back to the information page on vampires. Regular vampires were said to be warm-bodied creatures of the day that could blend in with humans effortlessly, and they also needed to eat food like normal people. They only drank human blood when they were injured, which gave them a quickened rate of healing. Kyungsoo decided the book’s lore was a little lacklustre, and closed the novel after noting his page.

Thinking back to Jongin and Jongdae’s conversation he had listened to earlier that day, most of their discussion had been about confessing something to a guy named Junmyeon. They had also talked about someone, a “C-Clan”, being after them. Jongin had briefly mentioned attacking someone like a half-blood in phase, but maybe that was also street-talk for something Kyungsoo didn’t know. Maybe a half-blood was someone who had ties to two gangs? Yeah, maybe.

But, on the other hand, while the gang theory could explain the conversation from that morning, it still didn’t change anything about the disappearance of Jongin’s injuries or the way that Kyungsoo had been saved from the falling wall. _But what was another possibility?_ Kyungsoo looked down to the tacky romance novel on his table, the gold typography momentarily catching the light as if winking up at the nineteen-year-old. _Pfft maybe Jongin’s a vampire. Yeah, right._

Musing over the thought for sport, Kyungsoo admitted that it could explain the lack of cuts on his arms, if vampires drank blood to heal faster. But it still didn’t explain the accident, the book never mentioned vampires being able to move without actually moving. Also, it didn’t explain the clan thing. If Kyungsoo could remember Twilight correctly, they didn’t call themselves a clan, they called themselves a family. They all had the same surname and pretended to be related.

Which, now that he thought about it, _did_ sound a little like the infamous Kim family. But still, absolutely ridiculous.

“Excuse me, young man. It’s already passed eight thirty, the Library will be closing shortly.” A stout woman interrupted Kyungsoo’s thoughts, her plastic nails tapping obnoxiously against the metal trolley she had stationed next to Kyungsoo’s chosen spot. Glancing around, the college student realised they were pretty much alone, the other readers gone, and the windows darkened. He must have really zoned out for some time.

After agreeing to leave, Kyungsoo packed up his belongings as the small wheels of the trolley squeaked into the distance. After his laptop was back in his bag and he had adorned his jacket again, Kyungsoo looked down at the book that stared back up at him. Though it was entirely irrelevant and unhelpful to his cause, it had somehow made an impression on Kyungsoo. He decided that though it was a totally trashy read, he might as well finish it now that he’d started.

Making his way over to the borrowing desk, Kyungsoo saw the figure of a familiar woman speaking with the stationed librarian. As he got closer, the woman turned to leave and caught his eye, and Kyungsoo immediately knew why he recognised her.

“Ah, Kyungsoo, how are you?” Irene had an arm full of textbooks, though she wasn’t struggling with them, and flashed a bright smile over the stack. “I know you’re a dedicated student, but really, you shouldn’t be studying so late.”

Kyungsoo smiled and nodded politely, trying to hide the embarrassing book he carried behind himself.

“You have a plan to get home, yes? If not, I wouldn’t mind driving you back to the dormitories.” Irene repositioned her handbag over her shoulder, and Kyungsoo felt bad for taking her time. The books looked heavy, and he didn’t want to hold her up.

“Yes, I do. Thank you for the offer, though. A-are you alright, or would you like some help carrying those?” Kyungsoo asked awkwardly, thinking it would be the polite thing to do, even though he’d just rejected her offer to drive him home, and therefore wouldn’t be following her to her car.

“No, thank you. It’s good for the arms, they say.” Irene laughed airily, and Kyungsoo tried to join in, but he knew how subpar his fake laugh was. “What have you got there?”

Kyungsoo freaked out for a moment as he registered his lecturer looking down at the dark red book he hadn’t wanted her to see.

“Uh, yeah… It’s a book for school! Another class, that is.” Kyungsoo tried to play it off naturally, and he mustn’t have done a terrible job as Irene merely nodded in understanding.

“Well, I’d best be off. Get home safely, yes? I’ll see you on Thursday.” Irene departed with another bright smile and a flourish of hair as she walked out with purpose.

Kyungsoo sighed in relief, glad he hadn’t been caught reading a sappy book instead of studying, as he should have been. Quickly swallowing his relief, Kyungsoo prepared himself for the impending embarrassment as he walked up to the greying librarian behind the borrowing desk.

She smiled politely and greeted the student, adjusting her thick frames as she looked over the single book Kyungsoo presented her with.

“O-oh, this is not able to be borrowed.” The woman seemed shocked to even see the old book, and she turned it over in her hands a few times before looking back up at Kyungsoo. “It’s not even meant to be on the shelves, my apologies. I don’t know how- Anyway, I’m sorry to rush you along, dear, but we will be closing imminently.”

Kyungsoo accepted her apology with an understanding smile, walking towards the exit as the words sank in. What were the chances that the one random book he wanted to borrow was the only one he couldn’t. It occurred to Kyungsoo how strange it was that the novel wasn’t meant to be on the shelves, and yet the library catalogue had told him exactly where to find it. The college student frowned at the realisation, and turned to look back at the librarian once more as he left through the glass doors. She stood still, staring down at the front cover of the book, as if entranced by it, and Kyungsoo couldn’t ignore the flighty, uneasy feeling that lapped at the base of his stomach.

 

_~Wild Flowers Worth Knowing~_

 

Kyungsoo didn’t enjoy how still the night air was, though was grateful for its fresh fragrance. The music major wasn’t a fan of the dull smell of carpet, stationary and dust that came with any visit to a library, so his steps were casual and unhurried as he walked around the street corner to the bus stop. He checked the schedule before planning on settling on the bench, only to find that on Mondays the last bus of the night came at eight fifteen, which had been a whole thirty minutes beforehand. Kyungsoo groaned out loud, wishing he had accepted Irene’s earlier offer to drive him home, and began trudging in the direction of his college.

The college, and therefore dorms, weren’t more than twenty minutes away, so he wasn’t so upset when he had to walk through the deserted streets. The area was mostly commercial, with real estate offices and long-since closed cafes. There was not a soul about, and Kyungsoo found himself enjoying the peace and quiet.

Only a few minutes into Kyungsoo’s calming walk was the silence broken by a lonely tune. A whistled melody floated by, drowning out the buzz of the overhead streetlights, and Kyungsoo immediately turned to find its origin. A few blocks behind him, walked a shadowy figure. Though the lights on the street weren’t all that bright, and the person was a fair distance away, the singer was still able to make out that the person was a tall male, wearing dark clothes.

The uneasy feeling in Kyungsoo’s stomach from earlier churned faster and was accompanied by a prickle along his skin. Kyungsoo faced forward again and picked up his pace, suddenly feeling vulnerable when no one else was around.

He knew he was just being paranoid, but when the whistling stopped a few minutes later, Kyungsoo was compelled to turn again, and he found that the person had almost caught up to him, now only a block away. Their hands were no longer in their pockets and they stalked with purpose.

Before Kyungsoo knew what he was doing, he turned right at the next street, no longer walking straight to the college. He was still a fair distance from the campus, and so decided to let the other guy walk ahead. Another glance, and the man had followed the smaller around the corner. The light washed over his figure brightly as he passed directly under a bulb and Kyungsoo could only focus on one thing: the man was wearing a balaclava.

Kyungsoo was half walking, half jogging as he came across the next corner, turning right again. He was now travelling in the opposite direction to his original course and knew that if the mystery person followed him this far around the block, then they were definitely _following him._

The other must have run to catch up, because only a few properties into the street, and Kyungsoo heard heavy footfalls behind him again. At this point, the college student was freaking out, unsure what to do. He wouldn’t be able to outrun the other, and it was unlikely that there was anyone in any of the surrounding closed businesses that would be around to hear him yell. There was also virtually nowhere for him to properly hide.

As he continued to walk with as fast a pace as his legs would allow, Kyungsoo clutched at the phone in his pocket. Who would he call anyway? The police? The guy hadn’t actually done anything to him, at least not yet. Chanyeol, then? He could be tall and intimidating when he wanted to be, but it would still take a lot of time for him to get there, and what if the man who was following him saw him going to use his phone, then jumped him?

His calves burned, and he was properly panting, as he ducked into a small alleyway next to a paint shop. There were no bins, boxes or even piles of trash for Kyungsoo to hide in, so he threw his backpack down and rifled through it in a panic. He grabbed his umbrella and extended it out, gripping it like a baseball bat. If he couldn’t run away, he’d have to stay and fight.

He tried to calm his breathing, listening intently. He heard the flurry of footsteps as the man jogged to catch up to him again. Kyungsoo bit his lip to stop it from quivering. He was shaking, and leant further into the wall of the alley, right by the entrance. He wanted to have the advantage of surprise on his side and held his breath as the footsteps grew impossibly closer.

The man’s shadow pooled on the bluestone underneath, spreading like an inky puddle on the ground and Kyungsoo reeled his arms back in preparation. A body came into view as the man turned the corner. Kyungsoo squeezed his eyes shut as he swung and- _WHACK!_

A gloved hand wrapped around the metal base of the umbrella with quick reflexes and ripped the instrument out of Kyungsoo’s grip. The blue material and metal bar clattered to the ground as the umbrella was thrown to the side. Kyungsoo watched, petrified, as the figure loomed over him, blocking out the small amount of light that peaked down the narrow lane.

The other hand then shot out and grabbed Kyungsoo by the throat. The grip burned and Kyungsoo felt his throat constrict as his flesh was crushed. A pathetic gagging noise was all he could produce as he felt his lungs burn and his face swell with blood.

“Weakling,” the man taunted. “They won’t get their army.”

The figure’s voice was quiet and rumbling, and Kyungsoo didn’t immediately recognise it. His fingers clawed at the taller’s hand, trying to pry it from around his neck. Something cold rested against the man’s wrist and a glance down showed Kyungsoo the other wore a skull pendant on a bracelet. He looked up again, trying to say something, but still couldn’t get anything out. The blood was rushing to his head and Kyungsoo’s vision was also darkening.

The grip around his throat slackened, as the man’s other hand pulled roughly on Kyungsoo’s hair, forcing his head to the side. Kyungsoo managed a frail and voiceless groan from the blooming pain on his scalp, and momentarily felt deja vu with the actions of Hyunsik less than a week earlier. But the thought was quickly forgotten as pure fear filled Kyungsoo’s veins once more.

The balaclava had a mouth hole, and while Kyungsoo couldn’t make out any discernible feature of the other in the dark, he could see the glint of two long and sharp teeth as they arched out between the attacker’s lips. His hands continued to pull Kyungsoo’s head to the side, even as the smaller kicked and punched every area of the other he could reach. The sturdy man seemed unfazed by these actions, though he hissed in the shorter’s face. The long, fang-like teeth were sleek and extremely pointed and Kyungsoo halted all movements and struggling at the sight of them.

Kyungsoo panted while staring wide-eyed, still trying to regain his breath while his throat ached, and the man took this stillness as an opportunity to dive at the student. Kyungsoo was utterly shocked as he felt the stinging burn of what must have been the attacker’s long teeth embed in the side of his neck. Less than a second later, Kyungsoo let out a blood-curdling scream, his voice scratchy and wavering, but still incredibly loud.

The sound of slurping liquid, as well as Kyungsoo’s shout, immediately halted as a third noise resonated around the alleyway. Another person ran down into the narrow lane, yelling for the attacker to let Kyungsoo go.

The man removed himself from Kyungsoo’s neck, and the student barely registered all the blood around his lips, feeling faint. He grabbed the attacker’s elbows, knowing he’d probably fall if not for the taller holding him up. As the attacker turned to look at the third person who had just come into the scene, he quickly brushed Kyungsoo off him, wiping at his mouth, and disappearing from Kyungsoo’s sight, though the wounded teenager could still hear him as he ran down the alley in the opposite direction.

Kyungsoo crumpled to the ground, not even reflexively holding his hands out to catch himself, instead he reached for the burning and yet somehow still cold area of his neck. His hand came away covered in red, his own blood, and Kyungsoo screamed again.

“Kyungsoo? Kyungsoo, you’re going to be okay, okay?” The voice wasn’t particularly warm and comforting, but the college student still recognised the mop of black hair and pointed cheekbones of Kim Jongdae. He had no clue what the third year was doing there, but all he could think about was the feeling of liquid oozing from his neck. “Apply pressure to it. Yeah, just like that. C’mon, let me get you up.”

With one arm around Kyungsoo’s waist, and the other hand pushing the first year’s over the injury, Jongdae dragged Kyungsoo out of the alleyway and back up the street.

A silver car was parked in the otherwise barren road and Jongdae leant Kyungsoo’s body on the side of the car as he opened the door, before pushing him inside. Kyungsoo heard the door slam behind him and recognized that he was no longer in the dangerous situation with the skull-jewelled man, but he still remained unable to stop the short bursts of whimpers and whines that fell from his mouth.

“It's okay, you're just in shock. Keep applying pressure, there's not much blood, you're okay. Don't faint on me, you hear?” Jongdae kept talking as soon as he got in the driver's side.

“Shit,” he said, spotting the stain of Kyungsoo’s blood on his hand. He hesitated for a second, before wiping it on his pants and starting the engine.

“God, I don't know who's gonna be more angry: Jun or Nini. Y’know, you shoulda called or something. Yeah, you didn't know the connection, but still, woulda made my job a hellovalot easier. Instead of me looking up your location on fuckin’ snapmap.” Jongdae ranted on the whole car ride and Kyungsoo tried to drone him out and focus on regulating his breathing. He was so confused, and Jongdae could explain how he'd known to find him later, right now he needed the hospital.

Which was another reason why he freaked out when Jongdae pulled up outside an apartment complex, dragging Kyungsoo to the main entrance while the younger choked on complaints.

“JONGIN!” Jongdae roared as soon as the two entered the spacious and pristine lobby of the building. Kyungsoo swore the inside of the building looked far more expensive than the outside, with marble floors, a crystal chandelier and a large staircase that separated into two before curling around the wall, all framed with ornate banisters.

Jongdae gripped the closest of Kyungsoo’s arms, but it still wasn't enough to keep him on his feet, and he fell to the ground again, the stinging pain in his neck starting to become significantly less bearable. He kept his hand pressed to the wound though, scared blood would spurt out if he didn't. He wasn't sure how much blood he had already lost, but he was feeling extremely lightheaded and dizzy. It wasn't a good sign, and if Jongdae didn't get him to a hospital soon, he assumed he would bleed out.

A large number of footsteps could be heard rampaging down the stairs, but Jongin was at the front of the herd, and Kyungsoo could only watch blurrily as his boyfriend yelled his name in shock and slid onto his knees in front of the shorter.

“Kyungsoo? Who did this to you?” Jongin held Kyungsoo’s face in his hands, his eyes scanning over his entire body before landing on the covered but bloody area of his neck. When Kyungsoo only managed to stutter out the elder’s name, Jongin turned to Jongdae. “What the hell happened?”

“I don't know exactly. I took your phone, traced where he was -- using that stupid app -- then drove there to find him getting snacked-on by someone in an alley. Didn't look like a half-blood either, way too civilised. Threw him in the car and here we are. You guys discuss everything?” Jongdae watched the pair on the ground with a certain degree of nonchalance, before looking to the crowd that had gathered. Sehun, who was amongst the gathered group, nodded casually, crossing his arms and looking back down at Kyungsoo’s weakened state.

“Yixing, please.” Jongin turned his head slightly, but his gaze remained on Kyungsoo as he spoke. Another member of the crowd, one Kyungsoo didn’t recognise, stepped forward and crouched next to the other two. Jongin removed his hands from Kyungsoo’s face but placed one on Kyungsoo’s knee in reassurance.

“Please, hold still,” the new man said, leaning closer to Kyungsoo, and looking at his neck intently. “It will sting for a moment but be over quickly.”

He tried to pry Kyungsoo’s hand off his own neck, but the teenager resisted. He shook his head free of his confused thoughts, and of the stares of the group of people around him. He needed medical attention, and how come no-one but Jongin seemed concerned for his wellbeing?

“N-no.” He coughed, his throat raw both from being crushed and from his earlier screaming. “I need a hospital.”

This didn’t seem to faze anyone around him, and Jongin squeezed Kyungsoo’s knee until the shorter looked at him, and then continued to rub soothing circles on his thigh.

“Yixing knows what he’s doing, please just do what he asks. You’ll be better soon, and I’ll explain everything.” Jongin spoke softly but was cut off when someone from behind him cleared their throat. Kyungsoo wasn’t sure if it was coincidental, or some sort of signal between them.

He turned to look at the unfamiliar man beside him, who smiled politely and looked nice enough. He nodded his head gingerly, assuming the other must be a doctor or something, and let the man peel his hand from the puncture wounds.

Yixing placed his own hand over the wound, smiling reassuringly as a layer of needles pricked Kyungsoo’s skin under the older man’s hand. The sudden stinging feeling increased until Kyungsoo had to squeeze his eyes shut and call out in pain. Jongin rubbed long stripes up and down his leg, and the younger tried to focus on the warmth that glowed from Jongin’s touch, and not the stabbing feeling from the doctor’s.

As the stinging pain reached its crescendo, it soon passed, and a sizzling warmth settled over the area thereafter. It was far more pleasant and Kyungsoo felt himself relax, the shivers that had been racking his body since he engaged with his attacker began to subside, and his headache receded also.

“There, good as new,” Yixing announced, standing up and excusing himself to wash the blood off his hand.

Jongin smiled for the first time, helping Kyungsoo back on his feet. The shorter still felt a little lightheaded, but no longer faint or dizzy, though he still half leant on the older as they stood.

“Did he just rub painkillers on it or something?” Kyungsoo asked no one in particular, surprised again when his throat no longer hurt.

Instead of Jongin answering, as he had expected, another member of the small group that Kyungsoo didn’t recognise stepped forward. In fact, he was the only one he didn’t recognise. Aside from him, Jongdae, Jongin and Sehun, there was Sehun’s twin, Krystal and the girl Kyungsoo had seen her with at the carnival - their cousin, Seulgi.

“No, Yixing administered no medication. Your wound is healed and there is nothing to worry about.” The new man said, with a face devoid of any kind of comfort. He was wearing a suit, and while he wasn’t that much taller than Kyungsoo himself, he held himself impossibly higher and Kyungsoo found even his gaze intimidating. The man turned to look at Jongin, and a frown entered his expression that made the musical major want to cower in fear, and successfully made him shut his mouth, though he wanted to clarify what his previous statement had meant. How could his wound be healed?

“Jongin, while you managed to explain your _situation_ to us, we were interrupted before we could fully discuss the implications of this. Don’t say more than necessary.” The man quickly turned on his heel, calling the rest of the crowd that remained to follow him, leaving Kyungsoo and Jongin standing alone in the middle of the large foyer.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” Jongin directed Kyungsoo away from the staircase with a hand on the younger’s back, over to what appeared to be an elevator, a white potted plant either side of the double doors.

He took them to the eighth floor, where another modern, marble entranceway greeted them. Kyungsoo looked around in astonishment, having only seen such luxurious places in magazines. There was an open doorway directly in front of the pair that continued on to a grand lounge room, with a lush rug and soft-looking cream sofa, a glass coffee table and a large plasma TV. The broke college student gawked.

“You live here?”

“Yeah, this level’s mine.” Jongin smiled shyly, continuing to guide Kyungsoo through a hallway. “The bathroom’s in here, so we can wash the... blood off.”

As soon as they walked into the bathroom, Kyungsoo was startled by what he saw. Beyond the inappropriate degree of fanciness for a room that housed a _toilet_ , there was also a pale and dirtied man staring back at him from the mirror. His complexion was ashen, with dark circles under his eyes, and an explosion of red spreading up and around his neck. He couldn’t believe it was _him_ he was looking at.

“Kyungsoo, why don’t you-” But Jongin was cut off again, as Kyungsoo rushed to the mirror, tracing over his reddened neck with fingers crusted in blood, looking for the injury. But there was nothing. There should have been two holes in the side of his neck, made by those teeth belonging to that… man? Monster?

“Jongin, I think I’m losing my mind.” Kyungsoo’s tone was grave and serious as he made eye contact with his boyfriend’s reflection. Tears stung his eyes as he thought about everything that didn’t make sense to him. His injury disappearing, the man’s teeth, the library catalogue, Jongin and Jongdae’s conversation, the accident, Jongin’s wounds, the whole Hyunsik attack. What was happening, was Kyungsoo hallucinating? Was there something seriously wrong with him?

“I’m so sorry.” Jongin looked like the weight of the world was on his shoulders, and he approached Kyungsoo tentatively. “It’s all my fault, I’ll explain. But please, sit first.”

Kyungsoo sat on the toilet seat as Jongin ran a cloth under hot water. He lifted Kyungsoo’s face with his hand and began wiping the dried blood off his skin. Kyungsoo again tried to focus on Jongin’s movement, and not his thoughts about how the only possible explanation for the situation was that he was going crazy.

“They’re not all bad.” Jongin started quietly, as if the defence was as weak as its volume. “But some can be vicious, violent creatures. Barely even human…”

“What are you talking about?”

“Vampires.” Jongin whispered it, a sad smile lifting his lips as he gently traced Kyungsoo’s cheek with his thumb. “I’ve brought you into my world, where you don’t belong. And for that, I can never apologise enough.”

“...What are you talking about?” Kyungsoo repeated, his voice wavering as a boulder lodged inside his chest. He thought back to the book he had read in the Ilsan Library earlier that night, the only result that came up for his search of the phrase “half-blood”. Jongdae had said it again in the foyer of the apartment building. Objectively, it fit. But such things didn't exist in the real world. “W-what-”

“I know it's hard to believe, but you saw it firsthand. Whoever did this to you...” Jongin turned away, grabbing the edge of the porcelain sink with both hands, and hung his head low. “...they were a vampire.”

Kyungsoo traced the skin under his jaw again, still not feeling any puncture marks. The person who had followed him had bitten his neck, he’d had two long _fangs_ and had sucked his blood. The entire thing was hard to believe, Jongin was right, but it really was the only explanation that made sense.

“Shit.”

“Yeah…” Jongin resumed washing the crimson stain off the white washcloth, his face grim and guilty. “I'm so sorry this happened to you.”

“Wait, why _did_ it happen? What connection do you have to vampires? ...No way, are you guys vampire hunters?” Kyungsoo’s eyes widened with the possibilities: was Jongin some kind of badass hunter with stakes and a crossbow?

Jongin knelt in front of Kyungsoo yet again, this time trying to clean the younger’s hands. He gently turned Kyungsoo’s hand over, wiping at his palm when he looked up and caught the other’s eyes.

“No, not exactly. Remember how I said not all vampires are bad?” Jongin gazed into Kyungsoo’s eyes imploringly, and the younger had an inkling where this was going. He nodded nonetheless. “I’m- Our whole family, we're all… We're vampires.”

“You’re not joking?” Kyungsoo steeled himself against the answer. He wasn’t sure what would be worse: Jongin lying about all this and Kyungsoo actually being crazy, or Jongin being… a vampire.

“Not even a little bit, I’m afraid.”

Kyungsoo jerked his hands away from Jongin’s grip instinctually. If every one of the Kims were vampires, then they were all as feral as the skull-jewelled man. They were all capable of ripping through his throat with a single bite. They were seriously _dangerous._

“I-I-” Kyungsoo couldn’t maintain eye contact with Jongin, who still knelt before him, as he stuttered. There were a thousand thoughts zooming around in his head, but he found he had nothing to actually say aloud.

“It’s okay, I understand it’s a lot to take in.” Jongin looked away too, busying himself with the cloth in his hands as he spoke dejectedly. “But I just want you to know, we’re not like them. We- _I’d_ never hurt you.”

“So..” Kyungsoo rubbed his face with his hands, trying to process his thoughts and order his questions in terms of relevance. He still smelt the iron on himself, but asides from some dried bits under his nails, Jongin had cleaned off the rest of the blood. “So what -- I only got bitten because you and I are… involved? I don’t get it.”

“Yes, that’s why everything’s happened. That’s why Hyunsik is nice to you: because _I’m_ nice to you. They now know they can get to me and my clan through you.” Jongin threw the pink cloth into the basin, turning around and leaning on it, tilting his head back with eyes closed. Logically, he was stressed because of the “bad” vampires, but Kyungsoo couldn’t help but feel like Jongin was somehow angry at him for getting involved in the vampire’s life.

“Wait a second, Hyunsik? He’s a-? That’s what happened last Tuesday, he was going to bite me…” Kyungsoo almost couldn’t take it. He had been in the middle of a vampire feud that he didn’t even know existed, and it had taken him almost dying _twice_ for Jongin to tell him what was going on. “Why have you only told me this now?”

Jongin whipped his head around to look at Kyungsoo, his eyes wide and brow furrowed. He seemed surprised by the question, which just irked Kyungsoo even more.

“Humans aren’t supposed to find out.”

“Then why did you let us become friends? Why did you ask me out, if you had no plans of telling me?” Kyungsoo held firm eye contact with the elder, knowing his frown verged on the side of a glare.

“I didn’t mean to…” Jongin broke under the gaze, dipping his head in submission as he admitted his thought process, or lack thereof. “I tried not to, but you were so… nice, and bubbly and I couldn’t help but want to spend time with you. God, it’s pathetic, but I… I just really liked you.”

Kyungsoo didn’t know what to do with that. While it was nice to know the other liked him, he also couldn’t just let the other off the hook for putting him in danger without so much as a warning. Instead of focusing on something he knew wasn’t going to change, he opted to ask another question.

“Who are these “bad” vampires, then? Is Hyunsik one of them? Was it one of them who bit me?” Kyungsoo could see the unease cross Jongin’s face, as he seemed to debate with himself whether he should share more information or not. Eventually he relented, crossing the room and plopping himself on the edge of the bath.

“Hyunsik’s a new-blood, but he’s in with a bad clan. The rogues and the aligned don’t get on, and there’s a bit of a turf war for this area, so it’s likely someone thought you were a recruit for us and wanted to take you out before we could turn you.” Jongin leant his elbows on his knees and looked up at Kyungsoo through his fringe. “I’m sorry, Kyungsoo. I can’t tell you much more.”

“But you’ve barely told me anything!” Kyungsoo stood up immediately. His curiosity was nowhere near satiated, though he was glad to be able to infer from the other’s words that he wasn’t going to turn into a vampire himself. “How did my bite wound heal? What are the rogues and the aligned? Do you seriously expect me to go back out there where I could be attacked again, without so much as asking what the fuck’s going on first?”

“Kyungsoo, calm down, please.” Jongin sighed, standing as well. He walked up to the human and placed a hand on the shorter’s shoulders. “Some vampires have special powers, and Yixing’s is healing. He used it on me with the scratch marks Hyunsik gave me and he did the same for you, okay? But that’s it, no more. Please Kyungsoo, give me time to talk things through with my clan first.”

Jongin looked at Kyungsoo with sad but determined eyes, imploring the younger to follow his request. And if Jongin had asked Kyungsoo to blindly trust him a month ago, the love-struck first year would have agreed in a heartbeat, but having just found out that the person he admired and adored had not only lied to him, but also knowingly almost gotten him killed… Kyungsoo wasn’t so sure anymore.

“Why was it Jongdae?” Kyungsoo asked with glassy eyes, seeing the person he’d idolised for so long in a new light. “Why was it Jongdae who found me in that alley and not you?”

“When you didn’t text me like you said you would…” Jongin removed his hands from the younger, looking down and away yet again. “If something had happened to you, and you had to be brought back here… I had to tell my clan leader about you.”

Kyungsoo closed his eyes and a searing tear escaped down his cheek, though he didn’t bother wiping it away. Not only had Jongin kept the vampire world a secret from Kyungsoo, he’d also kept the human a secret from his vampire family. Kyungsoo was mentally and physically drained from the events of the past few hours, but in that moment he just felt disappointed.

“I need to leave.” Kyungsoo’s voice broke, and he finally wiped at the gathering of tears in his eyes, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of falling.

“I’ll drive you home.” Jongin offered.

“No.” The college student sniffed loudly, his nose beginning to run too. He felt completely weakened, but he had enough anger left in him to want to refuse Jongin the slight feeling of redemption. “I’ll just get _Jongdae_ to do it.”

 

_~Wild Flowers Worth Knowing~_

 

Kyungsoo didn’t sleep at all that night. Knowing such creatures existed was far worse than the cloud of uncertainty he’d been stuck in the past week. He had his answers, but at what cost?

The college student had been almost killed twice, and he hadn’t even known of this world until a few hours beforehand. Just how much danger had befriending Jongin put himself in?

Even just thinking of the gentlemanly-second-year-law-student-turned-dishonest-vampire made the first year’s heart hurt. To distract himself from the disappointment, Kyungsoo wrapped himself in his blankets and strolled the internet for any other information pertaining to the vampiric world. He had to find out all he could, lest he be attacked again. _Third time’s the charm._ And if Jongin wouldn’t help him, then maybe some online stranger would.

There wasn’t much that Kyungsoo hadn’t already sifted through on his first attempt earlier that night, but there was a link to a chat room on _ImmortalDiscoveries dot com_ that caught his attention. He ignored the cringey website interface of plain black decorated with red pentagrams and poorly-rendered blood splatters and read through the discussion.

It was primarily a conversation between two users. The initial post by _werewolf808_ described a situation they found themselves in, in which they encountered what must have been a vampire. The human-looking creature held another person by the jaw and sucked blood from a wound on the innocent’s neck. _Werewolf808_ described the creature as crazed, with pitch black eyes and pulsating veins protruding from porcelain skin. How they had managed to see those details in the dark alley they cited as the setting was beyond Kyungsoo, but he still made sure to remember them. He couldn’t make out any facial features of his own attacker, so they might be an important thing to remember, lest he be attacked again.

Continuing down the thread, Kyungsoo read as another user responded. _WitchFollowerWhoKnows_ told _werewolf808_ that what they had seen was actually not a vampire, but a manic “semi-vampire”. They described full vampires as extremely hard to pick out from humans, whereas semi-vampires had many tells and were far less cautious of being seen, as they had far more extreme blood-thirst. It was extremely similar to what _Wild Flowers Worth Knowing_ had said: the user must have been referring to half-bloods.

There were more shared comments between the two, and the most important pieces of information Kyungsoo made sure to note down. Apparently, half-bloods aged like humans, and died like them too, but immortal vampires could only be killed by their head being cut clean off.

After finishing the thread, it was abundantly clear that this _WitchFollowerWhoKnows_ did in fact know their vampire stuff. Kyungsoo needed to see if there was anything else they could tell him, so in a spontaneous move, he created an account.

He skipped all the credit card details asked for a premium account, _who would want a premium account on this shit site anyway,_ and in an admittedly childish move, named himself _asseater69_.

The nineteen-year-old searched up _WitchFollowerWhoKnows_ and started a private message thread between them. He quickly explained his situation, though not in much detail, and asked for any other important information that he might need to know.

After waiting for five minutes by staring at the ugly webpage, he clicked on their profile. Kyungsoo looked over the the sparse information and smashed his forehead into his keyboard.

_“User last seen 2 years ago.”_ He was never going to get a reply.

Closing his laptop with a groan, Kyungsoo finally settled back in bed. Too much had happened for a Monday.


	5. Chapter 5

It was five in the evening when Baekhyun messaged Kyungsoo saying he was staying behind in class to talk with his lecturer. The first-year was waiting by the food court as he always did on a Tuesday, the best friends meeting up to hang together until the two soccer-heads finished practice.

Kyungsoo was almost glad to hear such news from Baekhyun, as he was in no state to pretend that everything was okay in front of his friends. Not only was Kyungsoo a horridly poor liar, but Baekhyun had always managed to wrestle the truth out of him anyway.

Today was an extremely special case, so he knew he would barely be able to greet his friends before they all would know something was off. He’d spent the entire morning skipping classes so he could cry in bed for an hour, then moved on to punching the living hell out of his pillow for two. His afternoon was promoted to going to class, though he definitely didn’t do any learning. Kyungsoo sat as still as stone just thinking about his whole situation, but jumped every time someone so much as bumped his shoulder or sat down next to him.

He’d gotten a fair few concerned looks from acquaintances and strangers alike. He had barely slept and he was pretty sure his shirt was inside-out. He must’ve looked like shit.

It was five fifteen when Kyungsoo got up from the bench, deciding that he was going to die one way or another while waiting for Jongin and his clan to explain everything to him. If he wanted answers, it was time for plan B.

 

_~Wild Flowers Worth Knowing~_

 

“You look surprisingly well, all things considered.” Hyunsik said, though he didn’t look surprised at all. He sat on the banister overlooking the Alumni Courtyard of the campus, and focussed back down at the piece of wood he was carving with a switchblade.

Kyungsoo moved to sit down too, though kept a wide berth from the vampire that had undisclosed, yet apparently (from Jongin’s perspective, at least) bad intentions.

“You… know about the attack?” Kyungsoo guessed, not knowing what else Hyunsik could be referring to. How would he have known about the skull man? He was what Jongin had described as a “rogue” vampire, so what connections could he have?

“Which one?” The fellow first year responded with a wicked smile, though he didn’t look up from his quick hand-work. He clearly found Kyungsoo’s status as a target amusing, but the musician couldn’t say the same.

Choosing not to answer, Kyungsoo looked over the garden thoughtfully. The balcony they were both on was a small outcropping, and the human only now felt the fear of being alone with the other. Jongin was not around to save him if things went badly this time, nor was Jongdae. He would have to tread carefully.

Thinking of how to manipulate the conversation was proving difficult, as he didn’t want Hyunsik to know he was uneducated about the vampire world, and he definitely didn’t want Hyunsik to know he was scared.

“Shouldn’t you be careful with that, it’s wood after all.” Kyungsoo asked, vaguely motioning toward the little trinket as Hyunsik peeled slices of timber off expertly.

Hyunsik immediately stopped his task, and looked up at the teenager. He blinked slowly, as if expecting Kyungsoo to elaborate. When the music student didn’t say anything else, he burst into laughter, having to grip the railing so he didn’t fall off.

“As in stakes? Wow, the Kims really didn’t tell you anything, did they.” Hyunsik wheezed as he tried to calm himself down.

Kyungsoo thought back to _WitchFollowerWhoKnows’_ comments, and they never mentioned an aversion to wood at all, but all the folklore Kyungsoo had ever heard growing up _had_. Hyunsik’s reaction was more than confirmation that the wood thing was just a myth, and, not for the first time, Kyungsoo found himself wishing Jongin had just told him everything. Instead, he had to compile all these separate sources and figure out what was true and what wasn’t himself.

_Well, there went the plan to hide his lack of knowledge about all this._

“What are the “rogues” and the “aligned”, and why do they hate each other?” Kyungsoo asked bluntly. Now Hyunsik knew he had no clue about any of this, he might as well get straight to business.

“So, is that how this works?” Hyunsik retorted, continuing his craft with no trace of his previous smile. “Jongin doesn’t tell you jack shit and so you come running to me?”

The human looked away from the other first year guiltily, feeling as if he was using the rogue. Apart from that one almost-biting experience a week ago, Hyunsik had always been nice to Kyungsoo. In fact, the music student would have definitely, before all the vampire stuff, called Hyunsik a fairly close friend. So maybe only talking to him when wanting information was a bit douche-y.

After all, Jongin had said that Hyunsik was a newly turned vampire, so more intense bloodthirst was to be expected, right? Thinking back to last Tuesday, Kyungsoo remembered Hyunsik apologising sincerely before leaving, so maybe riding him off as a totally bad person because of one mistake was harsh. Besides, in that moment, Hyunsik looked totally in control of himself. The idea that he would pounce on Kyungsoo again seemed extremely unlikely. But then again, Jongin had said that Hyunsik was in a bad clan, so maybe he _was_ dangerous...

Kyungsoo didn’t know what being a rogue vampire meant, but Hyunsik couldn’t possibly just be friendly because Jongin was, could he? The musician knew virtually nothing about any of this, and yet he wondered if Jongin had it wrong. If so, Kyungsoo would want to keep Hyunsik as a friend, though the vampire he was semi-dating would definitely hate that.

“Hyunsik,” The human said with resignation, turning to look the other in the eye. If he was right, if Hyunsik was a true friend, then Kyungsoo would ask him as one. “Someone’s after me, I’ve almost died twice within three days. I need to know the rules of the game if I have any chance of surviving. _Please, help me._ ”

Hyunsik looked back at the helpless human with hesitation. Kyungsoo hoped his expression was as imploring and sincere as he felt, and Hyunsik sighed before breaking the eye contact.

“I can’t tell you much, telling a human is… a big deal for us.” Hyunsik explained, leaning in closer and looking around to make sure they were still alone on the little balcony.

Convinced further by Kyungsoo’s assurance that any information would be helpful, the vampire sighed again before explaining.

“The aligned clans are the ones that are signed on with the Court, and the rogue clans are the ones that aren’t. The Nosferitian Court is a peace organisation that runs the sharing of resources between signed-on clans, keeps humans from finding out about vampires, et cetera. It’s basically the optional vampirian government. All aligned clans are peaceful with one another and subscribe to the Court’s rules, whereas for rogue ones it’s every clan for themselves.” Hyunsik explained, his voice low and his hands deathly still in his lap.

Kyungsoo took barely a moment to let it all sink in, his mind running a mile a minute at finally being told something. It seemed that Hyunsik being a member of a rogue clan, and Jongin being part of an aligned clan made them enemies. But to Kyungsoo’s objective perspective, they didn’t seem so different after all.

“If aligned clans are peaceful, I’m sure you would get along with the Kims if you just-”

“No.” Hyunsik dismissed quickly, crafting his wooden knick-knack with more aggression. “The aligneds have always treated rogues like fuckin’ scum. If Jongin had actually told you anything about any of this, you certainly wouldn’t have tried talking to me again.”

The human thought back to the way Jongin spoke whenever the rogue was mentioned.  Within the past twenty-four hours alone, it was clear to see there was tension between the two. Jongin hadn't hesitated to write Hyunsik off as a bad person, no matter that he was new to being a vampire. Perhaps he did have a prejudice against rogues, after all.

The science major had seemed dismissive of Kyungsoo’s suggestion for a truce, so to try to change the subject, the musician looked at the small project the other was working on.

“What are you carving?” He asked interestedly, looking at what was beginning to look like a figure. The rough form of a body could be distinguished, the arms and shoulders being the most finished aspects. The neck was so thin Kyungsoo was sure the head would fall off if someone breathed too close to it, and the face lacked any detail whatsoever.

“It’s Jilaiya, mother of all vampires.” Hyunsik stated plainly, slicing edges off the block, creating curls in the hair of the woman. “It’s said she created the first vampire by accident, trying to cure her son of a degenerative disease. She kind of represents bad actions, but with pure intentions of love.”

From Hyunsik’s tone, there seemed to be story behind why he would want a wooden doll of this woman, but Kyungsoo thought not to pry further. Figuring that asking questions about vampires might actually be less personal than whatever made the rogue believe in the legend, he thought of one more thing he wanted to know.

“This Nosferitian Court.... They sound good. Why hasn't your clan signed up?” Kyungsoo dangled a leg further over the railing, before realising that maybe as an injury-prone human he shouldn’t be sitting there at all.

“Yeah, they do, but… My clan’s called the C-Clan, as in Chinese Clan. Everyone else in the clan is a Chinese vampire who had to flee China after this big accident happened. Basically, the Chinese version of our Nosferitian Court completely crumbled after this scandal with money syphoning and half-bloods.” Hyunsik looked pained as he explained, like he didn’t know the details very well himself. “And so our clan chooses to put no faith or resources into this Court which could fall apart just as easily.”

Kyungsoo nodded as he leant further away from the edge, though still looked over the beautiful garden below. Then suddenly, his brain clicked.

_C-Clan._

When Kyungsoo had overheard the Kim brothers’ talking in the law building the day before, Jongin had said that the carnival “accident” had been caused by them… Was that not true, or was Jongin right? Was Hyunsik just playing Kyungsoo because he knew that the human meant a lot to the aligned, after all?

Kyungsoo’s eyes darted to the rogue next to him, who was now fully focussed on etching small facial features into the piece of timber he held. He had seemed nothing but sincere this entire time, had it been an act?

 _No,_ Kyungsoo thought, he couldn’t doubt someone just because Jongin didn’t trust them. He’d already established that Jongin personally disliked Hyunsik, so his claim must have been a continuation of that mistrust.

As the singer settled and watched the other continue to carve expertly, he noticed a glint around the science major’s neck. Sitting between the panels of Hyunsik’s leather jacket, nestled on his grey shirt lay a necklace.

Immediately, Kyungsoo shot up, colour draining from his face. He didn’t care that he almost toppled over the edge of the balcony, quickly climbing back over the banister. Hyunsik seemed surprised by his sudden movement and looked up at the standing boy with a raised eyebrow.

Kyungsoo knew he must have looked just as freaked out as he felt, but he couldn’t find it in him to fake a calm expression.

“Thanks for all that. B-bye.” He stuttered quickly, hurrying back towards the door and away from the vampire. And the familiar silver skull amulet that lay on his chest.

Once inside, he ran all the way across campus until he finally felt like he was out of reach of the other. Was Hyunsik the skull man all along? But he wore the skull around his neck, not on a bracelet. The amulet was the exact same though, with the same black jewels in the eye sockets as the one Kyungsoo’s attacker wore.

It was definitely not a coincidence, not with the crazy week the nineteen-year-old’s been having. Bending over to catch his breath, Kyungsoo concluded that it must be a shared symbol, perhaps every rogue vampire wears one? Or just every member of the Chinese Clan? If Hyunsik himself was not the one to bury his fangs in the human’s neck, it must have been someone else fairly close to him. And who’s to say Hyunsik wasn’t the one who organised the almost-death experience at the carnival? _“Every clan for themselves”,_ indeed.

Jongin was right, they were dangerous. While relieved to know that the second-year’s perspective of things was trustworthy, it somehow made the human _more_ upset with him. It was still the soccer player’s lack of openness that led to Kyungsoo needing to ask around for a sense of the situation. The music major didn’t want to play the Kim Clan’s waiting game, by the time they make their move Kyungsoo could already be dead.

It really began to feel like Kyungsoo was stuck on a sinking boat, and that no matter how much he tried to call out for help, no one came to save him. And what should he expect? He’s only known Jongin and Hyunsik for a few months, the rest of the Kim Clan even less, so there was no reason for them to break their vampire rules for a human like him. He just wished he weren’t stuck in the middle of it.

Taking deep breaths to calm himself before he had a full-blown mental breakdown, Kyungsoo began to walk back to the food court. After all this speculation and possible death, he just wanted the comfort of his friends. His normal, non-vampire-affiliated friends.

“You kind of look like Chucky.” Kyungsoo could hear Baekhyun’s teasing tone as he made it back to the group’s normal meet-up spot. The second-year musical student weaved his fingers through Chanyeol’s recently dyed hair as he commented.

“Chucky’s hair’s orange, not red,” Chanyeol corrected fondly. Across from those two, Minseok dumped his sports bag down on the ground. They must have only just finished soccer practice.

“Hmm? Oh yeah, and your hair colour's kinda similar too.” Baekhyun stuck his tongue out playfully as the larger huffed at the implication.

Seeing his friends act as they regularly did sent a wave of familiarity and security over the newcomer. Here, with these three, Kyungsoo was just a first year musical student, not a human targeted by rogue creatures of the night.

“Hey there, stranger.” Minseok greeted upon seeing the shaken first-year. “We were wondering where you were.”

Kyungsoo tried hard not to think about where he had been, with someone he trusted, but ultimately someone who had been lying to him. Instead, he laughed airily, and took a seat next to the third year.

“I thought maybe you’d gone to watch Jongin run around the soccer pitch, getting all hot and bothered.” Baekhyun said with an eyebrow raised and a cheeky smile.

“Actually,” Chanyeol interrupted suddenly, frowning at his watch. “You’re late for the Student Council meeting, shouldn’t you be heading over?”

The student representative’s stomach dropped. How could he forget? But both Jongin _and_ Hyunsik would be there: the two people he really didn’t want to see. He couldn’t face either of them right now.

“Uh, no.... I’m not going this week.” Kyungsoo explained, unable to think of an excuse that wouldn’t worry his friends or have them ask too many questions.

“Aww, Soo…” Baekhyun said, looking at the younger properly for the first time since he’d sat down. _Here it is,_ Kyungsoo thought, _Baekhyun’s magical gaze that can tell exactly what’s wrong with one look._

“Are you avoiding Jongin? ...Did he say something? I swear to god, if he said you’re too immature I’m going to kick him right where the sun don’t shine.”

“No, nothing like that, Baek. It’s fine,” Kyungsoo said, wanting to vent as much as he could without telling the _whole_ truth. “It’s just, there was something that I wish he’d told me earlier, but instead I had to find out about it from someone else… It’s no big deal.”

“It's natural for things like this to happen in a new relationship.” Minseok rubbed comforting circles on the nineteen-year-old’s back. “He really cares about you though, so don't worry. Sometimes you just have to trust them. Even when it's hard.”

Kyungsoo was surprised how relevant the business student's words were to his situation. Should he just trust Jongin when he says it'll all be okay? It was true... the only possible danger the musician had been in since the bite was because he had ignored Jongin’s warning about Hyunsik. Maybe it would be okay. Maybe Jongin would take care of him, and fill him in on the details when the time was right. But still, Kyungsoo didn't want to be some burden that Jongin had to take care of, he wanted to be an equal. But maybe there was no such thing when he was nothing more than a human in a vampire’s world.

“Listen,” Chanyeol piped up, trying to lighten the mood. “Why don't we go grab some dinner? I think we could all use a pick-me-up and I'm getting hungry.”

“Great idea!” Baekhyun immediately brightened, all threats to attack Jongin forgotten. “Some food, some drinks: the perfect way to forget about our piling student debts.”

“No drinking.” Minseok said firmly, picking up his stuff to leave along with the others. “We all have class tomorrow, and Kyungsoo’s got that presentation.”

The first year just groaned in agony, he'd forgotten about that. Being with these three certainly brought normalcy, for better or worse.

On the way to the cheap gogigui place only a few blocks from the college campus, Baekhyun led the group with Minseok, the two discussing Big Bang’s recent album. Kyungsoo knew he should be worrying about tomorrow's presentation or gossiping about the latest celebrity scandal, but everything felt so needless. Who cares that there were photos of two idols in a car together, when any day could be your last. Kyungsoo didn't want to be dramatic, but last night was a major wake-up call. What would have happened to his friends if he just hadn't shown up today? Would Baekhyun have texted him relentlessly during class like usual, only to never get a response? How would his parents react after being contacted by the police? How would the police have reacted to seeing a dead boy with a bite mark on his neck, anyway? Are there vampires in the police, too? Would they have somehow covered up his murder? Kyungsoo had hoped spending time with his friends would stop these thoughts from echoing in his head, but he just couldn’t seem to escape his new reality.

“Hey, Kyung. You good?” Chanyeol fell back from the other two and kept pace with the youngest of the group. “I know it's disappointing, but the first fight is really important in any relationship. It establishes your limits, shows that you both have flaws, and that that’s okay.”

Ha, yeah, that was true. Where Kyungsoo had once thought Jongin was the perfect person, he now saw that was not even close. And he was sure that Jongin was well aware of the younger’s limits, after the shorter had broken down last night.

“It was a bit different for Baekkie and I, considering we were roommates before becoming boyfriends, but I still remember our first fight as a couple…” The older looked off somewhat dreamily. “Baek left a huge glob of peanut butter on one of my socks.”

“Okayy…” Kyungsoo responded when it became clear that the other wasn’t going to elaborate on that particular story. “Listen, Chan. I’m really grateful that you’d try and comfort me, if that’s even what that was, but honestly I just really don’t want to think about it right now.”

Chanyeol nodded with a sympathetic smile, squeezing Kyungsoo’s shoulder in a sort of half-hug. Surprisingly enough, even the small exchange between the two managed to lift the nineteen-year-old’s spirits a little. That was just the effect Chanyeol had on people, had on Kyungsoo. The two had only officially met over the last summer break a bit over a year ago, Baekhyun absolutely _needing_ his best friend and boyfriend to get along. The, at the time, senior high school student had felt a sort of possessiveness over his long-time close friend, knowing that Baekhyun deserved no less than the best. Upon meeting the tall guy, though, Kyungsoo quickly forgot any intentions to try to intimidate the other, as he was so easy to be around. Chanyeol had a chill, easy-going vibe about him, but was also very smiley. Kyungsoo liked him the moment the IT geek had laughed at one of the singer’s jokes. He was a happy virus through and through, just like Baekhyun hadn’t stopped gushing about. Since then, a lot had changed though. Chanyeol wasn’t just his best friend’s boyfriend, he became another person that Kyungsoo grew to rely on. Though the thought hurt the younger’s heart, Chanyeol really was more of an older brother to Kyungsoo than his real one was.

“C’mon, slow folks! If you don’t hurry up, I’m eating your portions too!” Baekhyun yelled from the doorway of the restaurant, blocking a couple who were trying to leave.

“It’s slowpokes.” Minseok corrected from the footpath, trying to push Baekhyun out of the other pedestrians’ way.

“What?”

“...Nevermind.”

Chanyeol laughed joyously, with his head tilted back and a hand on his chest. And, for the first time in what felt like days, Kyungsoo smiled too as he jogged the few feet towards the restaurant, knowing Baekhyun would deliver on his threat if they dawdled too long.

“So…” Baekhyun said after half an hour of grilling their ordered meat, plopping a piece of it in his mouth dramatically as he leant an elbow on the table between them. “What’s the latest on the _‘Jongdae vs Mark: Who will win maiden Minseok’s heart?’_ front?”

“Why ‘maiden’?” Kyungsoo asked in confusion between bites as Minseok groaned and Chanyeol slapped his thigh.

“That’s got a good ring to it, babe. I’d watch that if it were a show.”

“Thanks, I’m pretty proud of that one.”

“Ugh.” Minseok sighed, repositioning himself on the strained upholstered booth while wiping a hand over his face in exhaustion. “None of the above. I may be the only single one of us, but that doesn’t mean I’m unhappy about it. Mark is way in the past for me, and Jongdae… I- _I barely even know him_.”

“You sound kind of defensive. Besides, how can you “barely know” the guy that helps you train?” Baekhyun asked, giving the eldest a self-assured look, like he knew that he’d caught Minseok out in a lie.

The business student just rolled his eyes, the taller of the two soccer players speaking before Minseok had time to refute.

“Jackson helps me goal sometimes, and no one really knows much about him.” Chanyeol interjected, before thinking more about what he’d just said. “Actually, today we talked quite a lot. He seemed really interested in hearing about my friends. I think he’s finally opening up.”

“That’s great, Yeol. But I’m not done asking Minseok about his _personal trainer_ . I bet he really helps you learn new _positions_.” Baekhyun patted Chanyeol’s leg before smiling mischievously back at Minseok, his voice dripping with innuendo.

“Oh, gross Baek.” Kyungsoo halted his best friend’s attack on the third year, waving his arms around as if he could physically shoo the mental images away. “I think I’d prefer to hear about how Chan is actually befriending Jackson. He seems so… rude.”

“Yeah, I know right?” Chanyeol perked back up, happy to be engaged. “But he was actually nice, he even asked after you specifically, Kyung.”

“Oh? Maybe he wants to apologise for what he did after last week’s game.” Kyungsoo wondered aloud, optimism bright in his tone.

“Jackson? Unlikely.” Minseok dismissed with an unimpressed expression. “He seems dangerous, I try and keep my distance. You should too, Do.”

Minseok’s face was set seriously, and his voice had what the nineteen-year-old called his ‘dad tone’. If Minseok thought that a ruffian like Jackson was bad news, Kyungsoo was sure that the third year would unenroll the younger from college immediately if he knew what kinds of people _really_ hung around the campus.

“I hear he’s in a gang,” Baekhyun whispered conspiratorially, leaning further into the conversation. “He hangs out with bikies and has heaps of tattoos.”

“Actually, I’ve seen him without a shirt on, and he only has a few…” Chanyeol interjected, thinking back to all the time shared in the locker rooms after practice.

“Oh. Well, the rest is definitely still true.” The gossiper assured, enjoying his position at the centre of the discussion.

“Is it? I’m pretty sure-”

“Be a darl and get the bill, won’t you Channie?”

 

_~Wild Flowers Worth Knowing~_

 

Having eaten a full meal and spent some quality time with friends, Kyungsoo barely felt the chill air as they left the restaurant, and the group of four laughed and joked merrily as they walked down the streets on their way home. It was late on a Tuesday, so thankfully not many others were around to be annoyed by their boisterousness. Not enough time had passed when the lively fun came to an end, Minseok splitting off from the other three with a wave, heading for his apartment instead of the college dorms.

After the eldest of the group left, Kyungsoo noticed Baekhyun give Chanyeol a light shove with his elbow and a pointed look. The tallest of the three looked surprised but nodded anyway, pulling back from the other two, and Kyungsoo knew what was going to happen before his best friend even opened his mouth.

“What’s going on?” Baekhyun had a serious yet gentle tone, and he didn’t look directly at Kyungsoo as he spoke.

“We’re walking home.”

“I know that much.” Baekhyun did turn to look at Kyungsoo then, a disapproving crease forming next to his mouth as he let it be known he didn’t appreciate the younger’s curt response.

“Nothing important.” Kyungsoo tried again, staring back at the second year. He hoped his steady eye contact would be convincing, though knowing it wasn’t likely.

“I've known you for ages, Soo, I can tell when you're lying.”

“I'm not lying. I seriously have nothing to tell. Nothing's going on,” Kyungsoo claimed as he looked forward again, his stomach dropping and twisting in guilt. He swallowed down the lump in his throat, knowing that no matter how much he wanted to come clean about everything to the person he trusted most, that he couldn’t. If he told Baekhyun, whether or not the elder even believed him, Kyungsoo couldn’t promise that he wouldn’t become the next target. He wouldn’t let harm come to his friends in the same way Jongin had _him_ . Even though he really wanted nothing more than to get it all off his chest, to tell Baekhyun that he didn’t know what to do, that he still liked Jongin but didn’t trust him, that he was _scared for his life,_ Kyungsoo said nothing.

“Yeah? Well your shirt looks like ass.” Baekhyun said immaturely, his voice half-joking. The sudden exclamation brought Kyungsoo out of his thoughts, and he was glad that the second-year seemed willing to let the topic go for the moment.

“Well... Your pants look like ass.”

“Hells yeah they do!” Baekhyun shouted enthusiastically, slapping his butt for emphasis as he strutted down the footpath. A hoot of laughter erupted from behind the pair, and Kyungsoo couldn’t believe he’d walked right into Baekhyun’s trap.

Chanyeol continued to laugh, wrapping an arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders as he squeezed his tall frame between the two shorter friends. He and Baekhyun quickly started up a conversation again and Kyungsoo was content to just listen in. The cold breeze was starting to get to him and he couldn’t shake the familiar way the empty surroundings made him feel restless. The three walked through closed shopping strips and dark shadows jumped in the corner of his eye. He knew he was only being paranoid, there was safety in numbers after all, but considering what he’d gone through the night before, Kyungsoo figured he was allowed to be a little skittish.

He definitely wasn’t being paranoid, however, when a tight tug on his outer arm pulled him from Chanyeol’s grasp and into the nearby foliage in front of a travel agency. A leather grip dug into the same spot of his neck that had been magically healed the day prior and Kyungsoo let out a scream.

“What the- Kyungsoo!” Chanyeol shouted as soon as he registered his companion’s absence, whirling around to catch up to whoever had grabbed him. The first year could feel the cold sting against his collarbone of a skull amulet from the wrist of the man behind him and he tried to pry the fingers off him before he could be bitten again. “Hey, get the hell off him!”

Chanyeol grabbed the man’s shoulder, but before he could do more than glare and yell at him, the attacker’s other hand shot out to shove him, sending the six-foot man barrelling into the nearby brick wall.

“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun already had his phone out, most likely hurriedly trying to call the police, but the skull-jeweled man was faster. Kyungsoo felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder as the man grabbed and twisted his arm, pushing him aside in order to slap the phone out of Baekhyun’s hand before the call could go through. He whipped around, wearing the same balaclava as the night before and reached out to seize Kyungsoo’s neck again.

A crunchy smack resounded in the leafy incropped area of the closed travel agency as Chanyeol returned to deliver a punch right to the other guy’s face. It didn’t seem to phase him much and, instead of punching him back, he snatched the front of Chanyeol’s shirt to pull him forward.

If Kyungsoo had learnt anything within the past twenty-four hours, it was exactly what was about to happen next. He couldn’t let something horrible happen to one of his friends, especially not when it was initially meant for him. Kyungsoo made a move to try and tear the attacker away from Chanyeol, who was now stuck in a headlock, when another pair of arms snaked around him and held him back.

“No!” Kyungsoo thrashed in the hold, reaching out to his best friends. This couldn’t be happening, the attacker couldn’t possibly have backup. Chanyeol and Baekhyun were innocent, they didn’t deserve to be punished for something that was either his own fault, or Jongin’s.

“Calm down, Kyungsoo.” The whisper was desperate in his ear, and he jerked to the side to see that it was indeed Jongin who held him back. How he’d gotten there, or when exactly, stayed a mystery. A glance to his right showed that a very frightened Baekhyun was also being held back, though his detainer was Krystal. None of the other members of the Kim family seemed to be present, and Kyungsoo wondered why. They could really use their help right about now.

Noticing the arrival of two more people, the attacker held Chanyeol tightly by the throat as he backed up a bit, putting distance between the two of them and the rest of the onlookers. He seemed hesitant, surprised almost, but not at all scared. He didn’t seem to be looking for an exit, and that alone made Kyungsoo weary.

“Put the human down.” Jongin’s voice was deep and resolute, the volume of the projection almost making Kyungsoo wince in his arms. It was only at that point that he actually stopped struggling, willing to let Jongin have a go at resolving the situation. “If you bite him you know there will be a war between our clans.”

The skull-jeweled man _laughed._ He chuckled like Jongin was a child reading a joke from a Christmas cracker, letting the arm that pinned Chanyeol’s tall form to his chest go, and bringing it up to peel back his balaclava.

“Jackson!?” Baekhyun yelled, starting forward before Krystal yet again reeled him back. “What are you doing, let Chanyeol go! Can’t you see you’re hurting him?!”

Jackson merely sent a slight grin to the shorter second year as he squeezed tighter around Chanyeol’s throat, the IT student emitting a sound mixed between a cough and a splutter. He turned back to Jongin, scowling as he spoke.

“You’d like me to start a war, wouldn’t you? Since you’ve been gathering your army, and all.” He looked pointedly to Kyungsoo, his meaning clear. ‘Dating’ a human could only lead to one thing in the vampire’s mind. “Well I’m not going to let you _aligneds_ get what you want.”

Jackson stretched his mouth unnaturally wide, his jaw cracking as it unhinged. Thin, delicate and entirely lethal blades grew from his teeth, and though Kyungsoo knew what was going to happen next, seeing it from a third-party perspective made it all the more horrifying.

Baekhyun had begun whining pleas somewhere to his right, and whether they were to Jackson, Krystal -- who still held him tightly -- or a higher power was lost on the first-year. A wet crunch rang out in the deserted street as the fangs ripped through Chanyeol’s flesh. Kyungsoo flinched at the sound and Baekhyun cried out to his boyfriend, now gripping Krystal just as hard as she was him. Chanyeol’s mouth was open in a silent scream, his eyes bugged-out and glossy. He was deathly pale, even in the dark moonlight, the only colour to his skin being the dark red that dripped from Jackson’s lips and ran down the side of his neck.

Kyungsoo watched, and he knew he should see one of his best friends -- one of the people he would never want hurt -- bleeding out in front of him. But all he saw was himself, dying alone in that alley last night. Only twenty-four hours ago.

It wasn’t fair, how this man Kyungsoo barely even knew got to play God in his life.

Filled with rage and naive courage, Kyungsoo found the strength to try and lunge at the creature. If no one else was going to do anything, he would. He brushed off Jongin’s arm that had loosened around his waist and started his run-up to the monster who appeared as a man. He didn’t know what he was going to do, but he had to try _something_. For Chanyeol.

He must have underestimated a vampire’s speed, or maybe just Jongin’s, because he grabbed the back of Kyungsoo’s backpack before he’d even taken three steps, forcefully pulling him back away from the other vampire. Kyungsoo was ready to start thrashing again until Jongin let go of him, willing to even scream until he was given a chance to do something. All thoughts of resisting Jongin’s restriction suddenly went to smoke as his attention was yet again stolen by Jackson, who finally extracted his fangs from Chanyeol’s neck.

The dangerous vampire’s entirely pitch-black eyes transformed back to dark brown irises surrounded by white as his elongated teeth slinked back into his mouth and the bones in his jaw scraped and snapped back into place. His gaze stayed trained on the human who was his original target as he licked the blood from his lips, the thick liquid dribbling off his chin and down Chanyeol’s cheek.

“Don’t take a step closer, little human.” Jackson’s voice was hoarse, adding an even more dangerous edge to his tone. “Or your not-so-little friend will be cursed to a fate worse than death.”

Chanyeol gurgled, his throat bobbing as he attempted to swallow down the blood that rushed into his airways and drowned him.

“Please.” Baekhyun begged with a sob, his face tear-stained and contorted in pain. “Please, just stop.”

Jackson glanced at the heartbroken boy, who unknowingly gripped onto a creature just as deadly as himself, and smiled.

“Jongin, turn the human and I will do this to everyone he cares about. One by one,” Jackson warned darkly, looking the other vampire in the eye.

He hoisted the injured college student up by his collar, a wet cough escaping his lungs. Jackson continued to grab Chanyeol’s neck with both hands, his grip almost slipping from the slick blood still oozing from the wound.

The pop of Chanyeol’s spine as Jackson snapped his neck would stay with Kyungsoo forever, the vision haunting him when he closed his eyes, and the human found himself in a daze as the shock sank in. Chanyeol crumpled to the ground as Jackson fled the scene, and Kyungsoo barely registered Baekhyun screaming and falling in Krystal’s arms. Jongin was in front of the nineteen-year-old in a moment, shaking him lightly and asking if he was okay. When no reply came, he shook his head as if scolding himself for even asking, moving Kyungsoo in the direction of the crying and screeching bundle on the sidewalk.

As soon as Baekhyun saw Kyungsoo, he immediately let go of Krystal and clung to the younger like a lifeline. Only when squeezed by Baekhyun’s arms did Kyungsoo remember his shoulder injury, the extreme pain pulling him out of his haze. Baekhyun gripped the boy tightly, his fingers digging into Kyungsoo’s back as his yells were muffled by the younger’s shirt.

Turning his head to Chanyeol’s body, he watched mutely as Jongin lifted him up and instructed Krystal to do something, her form then bending over to inspect the puddle of blood left on the ground.

“Kyungsoo!” Jongin’s voice boomed, a sure sound of authority amongst all the chaos. Something Kyungsoo could focus on. “Bring Baekhyun, follow me. Now.”

Baekhyun seemed to have completely switched off, as Kyungsoo had to half drag the second-year after Jongin’s figure which moved far too fast for one under the body weight of tall Chanyeol.

“He’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead.” Baekhyun’s voice was loud and shaky in the other’s ear, and Kyungsoo replied to each of Baekhyun’s statements with a solid _“he’s not, don’t worry”._

Backlights flashed as Jongin unlocked his car, dropping the contorted pile of limbs and shoving them roughly into the trunk. He opened the back door and ushered the two humans inside, before running to the driver’s seat and revving the engine.

“He’s going to be alright, right Jongin? Your healer will fix him like he did to me yesterday, right?” Kyungsoo asked in a burst, needing to reassure both Baekhyun, who was whimpering in his lap, and himself.

“Don’t worry, not now.” Jongin said instead of agreeing, his gaze flicking nervously to all the rear-view mirrors. “Krystal will clean everything up, it’ll look like nothing ever happened.”

Kyungsoo was too panicked to be unhappy with the answer, rubbing his best friend’s back and softly telling him everything was going to be okay.

After reaching the Kim Clan’s apartment-complex-turned-mansion, Jongdae and the healer, who had been waiting outside for them, immediately carried Chanyeol’s body inside, followed quickly by the other three car passengers. In the lobby they laid down the twenty-year-old’s lifeless corpse, and the sight was far worse under the indoor bright lights. The once kind-hearted and goofy young man’s permanent smile was replaced with a purple and slightly swollen mouth gaping like a fish, his glassy eyes unfocused and dull. His neck was disfigured and twisted too far to the right. The angle gave the perfect view of the blooming lotus of red that still dripped from the small puncture wounds barely noticeable along the left side of his throat.

Seulgi, who Kyungsoo recognised from the carnival though it felt like a lifetime ago by now, walked in with purpose. She held a large white bedsheet and handed two corners to the healer, who walked to the other side of the motionless body and draped the cloth over its entirety.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Kyungsoo interrupted, turning to Jongin as Baekhyun fell to the floor, again in tears, and sobbed. “Aren’t you going to save him?!”

Jongin swallowed at the younger’s confused and angry tone and glanced at the other Kims in the room as if looking for assistance.

“Let me help you first.” The healer walked up and guided Kyungsoo to a close chair. “I am Yixing, by the way. I don’t think I was properly introduced during all the chaos yesterday.”

Though Yixing’s tone was calm and pleasant, Kyungsoo couldn’t afford to think about himself at such a time. Who knew how much time they had until it was too late to heal Chanyeol, they couldn’t waste any resources on an inconsequentially sore shoulder. However, before Kyungsoo could voice his thoughts on the matter, the somewhat familiar stinging sensation washed over his upper arm and he grunted in an attempt to deal with the pain.

As the much more relieving feeling of warmth enveloped the injury, Kyungsoo’s eyes wandered to the far side of the room where Jongin, Jongdae and Seulgi all spoke with crossed arms, though the latter rubbed her hand up and down Jongin’s side in a comforting gesture. His gaze then fell to a few feet away where Baekhyun rocked himself and gripped tightly to the hand that peaked out from under the white sheet placed over Chanyeol’s form. The difference in their skins’ colour was glaringly obvious, while Baekhyun’s long fingers were caramelised with life, Chanyeol’s hand was already an ashy white.

It was this image that finally pierced through his obstinance and reached Kyungsoo’s heart.

“He’s…” The human felt tears pricking his eyes, and was surprised at how hard it was to admit aloud. “You can’t heal him, can you.”

Yixing placed his hands on the other’s knees as he leant in front of him. “I’m so sorry, but once he’s dead… There’s nothing I can do.”

Kyungsoo wanted to yell at him, at Jongin, at _Jackson_. Instead, he walked back over to Baekhyun and sat next to him, pulling the older into his embrace, Chanyeol’s hand falling out of his grip in the process. After what must have been ten minutes of solid weeping, the first-year felt like his whole face was blocked with snot and numbness, and the tears halted. Baekhyun also calmed himself down enough to wipe at the wetness of his cheeks and look around their surroundings.

“What was that…” Baekhyun whispered in Kyungsoo’s ear with fear, looking around to make sure the Kims weren’t listening. “What was that _thing_ that looked like Jackson?”

Kyungsoo stared at the elder with resigned sadness. Just as Jongin had put Kyungsoo in danger by not telling him the truth, Kyungsoo had done the same to Baekhyun and Chanyeol. If he had answered Baek’s earlier questions about Jongin honestly, maybe things would have gone differently, maybe Chanyeol would still be alive. Either way, he wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.

“A vampire. They all are.” He responded, nodding in the direction of Jongdae and the others, who still chatted amongst themselves, though Jongin hung his head low and pulled at his hair with his hands. Kyungsoo’s gaze lingered there, watching as Jongin submerged himself in guilt. The vampire had definitely done things wrong, but maybe Kyungsoo had too. His friends were his responsibility, so it should’ve been an obvious choice to not let them all walk home along an empty street. Though yesterday’s incident was not at all his fault, maybe today’s was. Tearing his vision away from Jongin, Kyungsoo just thought about how grateful he was that Minseok lived in a more populated area.

When Kyungsoo returned his sight to Baekhyun, his eyes were widened in fear and disbelief. He looked down at the white material with growing stains of red spread across it, and after a moment he seemed to accept the explanation. Looking back at Kyungsoo, he seemed to put the pieces together.

“You… the carnival… You were right? Jongin, he…”

Kyungsoo nodded his head, knowing his best friend wouldn’t be able to finish his sentence properly.

“We need to get out of here.” Baekhyun burst, shaking his head to clear it. He started getting up but Kyungsoo pulled him back down.

“No, we’re safer in here. We leave and Jackson could get us too.”

“Trapped in - where are we, an apartment building? - with a _whole freaking gang_ of them?”

The Kims heard the kerfuffle and began making their way over to the humans, and one glance told Kyungsoo that Jongin was clearly dreading the impending confrontation.

“It mightn’t seem like it, but trust me. They’re the good guys.” Kyungsoo whispered finally, squeezing Baekhyun’s hand. Though this seemed to slightly settle the other for the moment, it did nothing for the younger. He still wasn’t totally sure where the Kims sat along the good guys vs bad guys spectrum. He hoped he hadn’t just lied to his best friend again.

“I just want to start off by saying I’m really sorry,” Jongdae said, kneeling in front of Baekhyun who stared back like he was seeing the charming soccer player with new eyes. “Chanyeol’s a great guy, he didn’t deserve this. None of you did.”

“Stay.” Baekhyun commanded firmly, his stare suddenly turning dark as he glared right at the apologising vampire. “The. **Hell**. Away. From. Minseok.”

Jongdae raised his eyebrows in surprise and stood back up, turning to Jongin who bit his lip nervously. “Well, your turn.”

“We don’t have time for this.” Boomed a new commanding voice from the top of the wide staircase, a phone held to an ear. “Make sure the police know nothing, then you and Krystal come straight back… Okay… Good. Keep me updated, Sehun.”

Junmyeon hung up the phone then turned back to the group in the lobby, and began giving orders.

“Seulgi, get the infirmary on the second floor set up for both the turning and the human. Yixing, help me carry him up the stairs. Then, clean him off, we don't want any unnecessary hysteria.”

The Kim Clan leader marched down the stairs as Seulgi nodded and climbed back up them, Yixing moving to help pick the covered body off the marble flooring. After having hoisted him up easily between the two of them, Jongdae announced that he would wash the residual blood off the floor, leaving in search of a rag.

Seeing them begin to take his boyfriend away, further into the vampire’s fortress, Baekhyun called out. “Wait-!”

“Jongin.” Junmyeon addressed, while walking up the stairs sideways and carrying Chanyeol’s feet. “For God’s sake, explain the situation to them.”

Jongin nodded, looking down at the two best friends huddled on the floor guiltily.

“Chanyeol died…” He began with the obvious, frowning in thought about how best to explain what was going on. “But he’ll come back. He’s... turning.”

In response to the news, Kyungsoo stood up immediately, dragging the taller human with him.

“You mean he’s turning into a vampire? Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Kyungsoo asked Jongin with a frown, quickly turning to face Baekhyun and squeezing his hands in relief. “He’s going to be okay.”

“Actually…” Jongin interrupted, fiddling with his fingers. “He’s not turning into a vampire, he’s turning into a… a half-blood.”

“What the fuck even is that.” Baekhyun asked flatly, the anger he’d earlier aimed at Jongdae clearly not letting up. The trumping emotion for Kyungsoo, however, was confusion and he leant closer with a questioning look, though also making sure to create a slight barrier between the two others.

“As in, the nightmarish vampire half-breed known to go insane and feast on human blood?” Kyungsoo asked in complete shock. Just thinking back to the drawing of a half-blood he found in the book _Wild Flowers Worth Knowing_ gave him the heebie-jeebies, but for them to actually be real along with vampires was crazy. They were truly ferocious when compared with normal vampires, so it said, and for that to be one of Kyungsoo’s best friends… He couldn’t imagine it.

“Well, yes… But it’s not that bad!” Jongin placated, his arms up in a sort of surrender. “Yes, whereas vampires only need human blood to heal, half-bloods need it like the rest of us need regular food to survive. But as long as we can provide that to him in a non-violent way, everything should be fine.”

“I thought they were like… incapable of being, y’know, normal,” Kyungsoo said, unsure if that was a… _speciesist_ comment to make.

“When they get really hungry, the bloodthirst can take over. If that happens, they're called a half-blood ‘in phase’, and that’s when they become so instinctual that they won’t even recognise someone they know. The human part of their brain virtually shuts down,” Jongin said hesitantly, eyeing Baekhyun wearily like he was scared the comparatively weak human was going to harm him somehow for saying something he didn’t want to hear. “But don’t worry, we won’t let that happen to Chanyeol, he’ll be the same guy you always knew. Just, drinking blood instead of Gatorade.”

Jongdae strode back in, a yellow cloth in hand, and he crouched over the red pool that spread along the marble. He glanced up as he wiped it off, like he only just then noticed the silence that had settled over the lobby area, setting his gaze on Jongin with raised eyebrows. The taller of the two vampires gave a small nod back, most likely signalling that he’d told the two humans that Chanyeol was turning and not actually dead.

“Cool,” Jongdae said as he admired his finished work, ignoring the new blood stain on the cloth. He stood up and sent Baekhyun his customary cheeky grin while continuing. “You can apologise for being curt at any time, by the way.”

“That won’t be happening.” Baekhyun shot the idea down immediately, his tone sharp and his usual cheeriness completely gone. Kyungsoo reached out and touched his elbow lightly, trying to get his attention away from the one-sided glare match, but Baekhyun flinched out of his grasp. “I want to see him.”

“Aye aye, captain.” Jongdae didn’t seem to let the tension get to him as he sent a salute to the still serious-looking Baekhyun. “Right this way.”

“I’ll be with you soon,” Kyungsoo interjected before the two could walk far, knowing he and Jongin had to talk things through urgently before he could join them. Baekhyun, however, didn’t turn back to look at the younger, instead throwing a short _“fine”_ over his shoulder as he continued to follow Jongdae up the stairs and out of sight.

Kyungsoo sighed, thinking that maybe he wasn’t the only one who had realised just how much at fault he was.

“Do you want to stay down here, or..?” Jongin asked with a soft voice, his posture, though not particularly different, was inherently submissive. Kyungsoo, while somewhat glad to see him so remorseful, just wanted to get the apology and explanation out of the way. He wasn’t sure if much had changed between Jongin and his clan, but hoped that the taller was now permitted to give him more information.

“Let’s go up to your place.”

The two moved quietly, standing close but not ever making contact, as they walked to the elevator and got inside. Kyungsoo didn’t like the awkward air between them, and he wondered if other relationships were this difficult, this early on. He hoped it wouldn’t stay this difficult as time went on. Thinking back on it, he realised that _wow,_ he’d just assumed that they’d stay together even though Jongin was a literal vampire that had, by omission, almost gotten him killed a handful of times, as well as having gotten one of his best friends _actually_ killed. He wasn’t so sure he could forgive the other so easily after that.

“Please, sit,” Jongin said, motioning to the soft cream sofa Kyungsoo had gotten a glimpse of previously, after they’d exited the lift. The room -- no, entire building -- was so classy, Kyungsoo felt unbelievably out of place just looking around, let alone sitting there. But he had to admit, the couch was really comfortable.

“Kyungsoo, I just want to say… I’m _so_ sorry.” Jongin sat on the same sofa, a respectable distance away, and turned to face the younger with hands clasped in his lap. His expression was nothing short of sincere, and Kyungsoo nodded in acknowledgement. “I really never wanted any of this for you, let alone your friends. Junmyeon set a human ban for us for a reason -- to protect people like you -- and I know that now. It was wrong and selfish of me to put you in so much danger, and I can never make that up to you.”

The vampire bit his lip while ducking his head, and Kyungsoo was almost scared he was going to start crying. Jongin was a sweet soul, that was something Kyungsoo had known for a long time. Even when they had just been college friends, Jongin had been very kind and attentive. He’d walked Kyungsoo to lecture theatres he was unfamiliar with, asked to make sure he was adjusting to his workload, and always listened well whenever he went on a rant about something inconsequential. And now Jongin sat in front on him, the vision of guilt-ridden despair, and Kyungsoo just _knew_ he’d not meant for any of this to happen.

It was for that reason alone, that the younger reached a hand out to rest it atop Jongin’s.

“I know, but… but I forgive you.”

Jongin looked up, startled, but reflexively unclasped his hands to wrap them around Kyungsoo’s colder one. The younger cracked a smile at the unadulterated hope that started sparkling in Jongin’s eyes, and tilted his head as he spoke.

“I can’t speak for the others, and I don’t think Baekhyun will be so easy to sway, but _I_ forgive you. I know you, Jongin. You like bungeoppang, and soccer, and murder mystery novels. Yeah, you make mistakes, but you apologise for them, and learn from them. I can’t hold that against you.” Kyungsoo chuckled lightly as Jongin’s bright smile took form, his eyes swimming with relief and something akin to affection. Before Jongin could get too happy though, Kyungsoo schooled his expression. “That is, as long as you promise to be one-hundred percent honest from now on. That’s gotta be how this works.”

“I promise.” Jongin nodded eagerly, rubbing one of his thumbs in a circle over the back of Kyungsoo’s hand. “I’ll be better.”

“Me too.” Kyungsoo placed his other hand on top of the pile, smiling serenely until he remembered something. “Speaking of being honest, maybe I should mention I talked to Hyunsik today…”

“You did? You need to be careful around him, Kyungsoo. He's dangerous.” Something serious flashed across Jongin’s eyes, and Kyungsoo just hoped it was protectiveness given the last time the three of them had been in the same room, and not anger that Kyungsoo had spoken alone with the rogue vampire after Jongin had explained why he shouldn't.

“Yeah, I should’ve listened to you when you warned me about him. He didn’t try anything at least, so it’s okay. I won’t be in a rush to talk to him again any time soon, though. Being a rogue vampire, and all. He’s in the same clan as Jackson, isn’t he?”

Jongin nodded his head in affirmation, his gaze slightly to the left of Kyungsoo’s eyes. His brow furrowed, and his mouth sat slightly open. He seemed to be about to say something and Kyungsoo waited for him to get his thoughts together.

“You’re not… you don’t _mind,_ do you? That I’m… a vampire?” Jongin asked the question tentatively, and it made Kyungsoo wonder if maybe Jongin was somehow self-conscious about it.

Given what he’d seen Jackson do, it was fair to say that vampires could be pretty damn frightening when they wanted to, and the idea that gentle Jongin could be the same way was… weird. He didn’t know how he felt about it, quite frankly. He’d not thought about it. He’d always seen Jongin as just Jongin, even after he’d told Kyungsoo the truth.

“Can I see them? Your fangs?” The slight squeeze to his hand let Kyungsoo know about the hesitation Jongin was feeling even more than the way he briefly sucked in his lower lip. Kyungsoo let his upper hand trace gently over the contours of Jongin’s, trying to give him a reassuring look. “You won’t scare me, I promise.”

At this, Jongin finally nodded his head, retracting his hands from Kyungsoo’s grip. He shuffled even further away on the couch and cleared his throat. Wiping his hands on his pants, he shut his eyes and took in a deep breath. When he next opened them, both his eyes were fully black and though there was no way to really tell, he felt it when Jongin looked directly at him. The stare pinned him to his seat and he fleetingly thought to take his request back. He didn’t though, mostly because his mouth was glued shut and his throat constricted closed. Jongin eventually opened his mouth, and the same two blades of bone that Jackson had stretched out from between his regular teeth. He sat with them shining in the well-lit lounge room and Kyungsoo took his time just looking at them.

When the human felt his heartbeat calm down, and was definitely sure Jongin wasn’t going to pounce on him, he shuffled forward slightly. Jongin blinked his black holes questioningly, but otherwise didn’t move. Gaining a little confidence from this, Kyungsoo scooched a little closer again, until he was right in front of him.

“No, it’s okay.” Kyungsoo whispered as Jongin flinched back, reaching his hand out slowly. He patted Jongin cheek, noticing how the taller’s breathing had fastened, and tried to sooth him with quiet _“shhh shhh”s._

Jongin relaxed himself with a few more deep breaths, and Kyungsoo then took his chance to move his hand from Jongin’s cheek to his mouth. Using his index finger, the nineteen-year-old traced along Jongin’s bottom lip, then around the top one, he brought up his other hand to hold Jongin’s jaw in place as he ran a finger down one fang. He saw how the vampire’s throat constricted as he swallowed, and Kyungsoo continued until he reached the tip, giving it a soft flick of his fingertip.

“There we go, not scary at all.” Kyungsoo finished his sentence by grazing a thumb across the taller’s cheekbone and Jongin closed his mouth and eyes simultaneously, fluttering his eyelids open again only a moment later, the irises returned to a beautiful, rich brown.

“You’re really okay with it?” Jongin asked as he clung to Kyungsoo’s hand again, and his gaze was expectant and imploring. It saddened the younger to think that this had been a concern of his.

“Of course, did you think I wouldn’t accept you?” The lack of an answer was answer enough. “You’re just Jongin, and I’m just me. Nothing will change that.”

Kyungsoo hadn’t expected the sudden embrace as Jongin pulled the shorter into his arms, but he immediately hugged back, squeezing his face into Jongin’s chest. He smiled against the warm fabric of the navy-blue sweater, and he felt more relieved after the last two days than he thought he could. He knew this didn’t mean everything was different, but it still meant something important. Kyungsoo was going to get his honesty, and Jongin was able to be himself. The thought that things were good between the two of them again made Kyungsoo content. When the hug ended, he gripped Jongin on either side of his head and pulled it forward to kiss him on the cheek. When they parted, both Kyungsoo and Jongin had matching smiles, and Kyungsoo couldn’t have been happier.

“This might be a little insensitive…” Kyungsoo gripped the older’s hand again, trying to make Jongin understand he didn't mean anything offensive by the question he was about to ask. “But, are you technically ‘undead’?”

Chanyeol had died, Kyungsoo had been there. He stopped breathing and his heart stopped beating, but he was about to reanimate. That technically made him undead, and Kyungsoo realised he didn't actually know how someone became a vampire. More than the fact that simply getting bitten didn't turn you, of course, as otherwise he would have turned into one himself. But presumably they had to die in some way before becoming one. There was something about the distinction between regular supernatural and _undead_ supernatural that had Kyungsoo almost squirming in his seat. Not because he wouldn't accept Jongin as an undead creature, but the image of a younger Jongin lying on the ground, dead, as Chanyeol had been only an hour beforehand, made Kyungsoo feel horrible. No one should have to go through that, after all.

“No, actually.” Jongin looked down and fiddled with Kyungsoo’s fingers idly. “Half-bloods are probably classified as undead, because to make a half-blood you have to bite them then kill them before the bite heals. Vampires are made through a little more of a complicated process, though.”

He looked up at Kyungsoo as he bit the corner of his lip, his open expression asking if the other wanted to hear the process. Kyungsoo nodded earnestly, amusedly thinking that Jongin should have known his curiosity wouldn't have ended with the direct answer to his question.

“Well, to turn someone into a vampire you actually have to inject them with vampire’s blood. Vampirism isn't something that inherently has anything to do with death, and when they do mix a weird half-human half-vampire thing, now known as a half-blood, is created. Anyway, for a regular vampire you inject the vampiric infection in the form of vampire’s blood into a human, which will immediately knock them out. You have to keep giving them regular injections until they wake up turned. Everyone takes a different amount of time to wake up, and some people wake up with other symptoms. Yixing and the ability to heal, me and teleportation, et cetera. Really, it’s quite-”

“Sorry…” Kyungsoo couldn't help but interrupt, his previous information-absorbing mindset shifting at the most recent revelation. “You can teleport?”

“Yeah, every member of our clan has a power-”

 _“That's_ how you did it! Isn't it! The carnival and the falling wall and the whole saving my life thing.” In Kyungsoo’s excitement, he playfully punched Jongin in the chest. “I've been trying to work out for ages how you did that, there was no way you pushed me out of the way.”

“You realised? Well, I’m sorry for lying about that…” Jongin looked sheepish again as he half-heartedly rubbed his left pectoral, and Kyungsoo immediately waved away his apology with a shake of his head. He wasn't upset, not now that he knew he could ask anything and Jongin would give him a satisfactory answer.

“That's crazy… You can really teleport anywhere you want?” Kyungsoo shuffled closer again, giving Jongin’s chest one apologetic pat where he'd punched him, and leant his head on the vampire’s shoulder. Teleportation had to be the coolest superpower, or disease symptom, or whatever it technically was.

“Well, it's pretty limited by distance. I can't just go to France all of a sudden or anything.” He wrapped an arm around Kyungsoo and pulled him closer, leaning his own head on top of the human’s.

Kyungsoo wanted to ask just how far he could go, when Jongin’s phone began blaring in his pocket. The whining ringtone grated against Kyungsoo’s ears, and he scooted away so Jongin could dig through his pocket to find the device. When he did, Kyungsoo just watched silently as he accept the call and held it to his ear.

“Jongdae?” Jongin frowned and Kyungsoo wasn't sure if it was bad news or if he was just listening to what his fake brother was saying with extreme concentration, as Kyungsoo couldn't hear what was said on the other side of the line. “Ah, I see. We'll be right there.”

He hung up and smiled at Kyungsoo, who just looked back with raised eyebrows and an expectant look.

“Chanyeol’s awake.”

The pair didn't leave immediately, both of them having a small, well-meaning squabble about whether or not they should just skip the elevator ride and teleport straight there, but eventually Jongin cracked and agreed to use his power. Just this once, he'd made clear, because he felt bad for having lied about it to Kyungsoo initially.

The teleportation trip was different than what Kyungsoo had thought it would be. He'd expected for a sudden switch in surroundings that he'd barely notice, maybe a cartoon-esque _pop!_ would signal their arrival, even. But after Jongin had curled his arm around Kyungsoo’s waist and told him to think non-nauseating thoughts, everything had been… blurry _._ He even _felt_ blurry, somehow, as colours from around Jongin’s lounge room spun and morphed into strange shapes, merging with other colours that hadn't been present in the cream room. The hues churned hypnotically and so did Kyungsoo’s stomach as he lost his sense of direction somewhere in the smudged kaleidoscope around him. Instinctively, he latched onto Jongin’s shirt, scrunching handfuls of it along the hemline, and squeezed his eyes shut.

A moment later, Kyungsoo felt a bit better and a soft _“we're here”_ was whispered in his ear. He opened his eyes to see he was in a tiled room with a gathering of people around a cot in the corner. Everything was sharp, in-focus, and thankfully _not_ blurry.

“Kyungsoo!” A voice he'd been scared he would never hear again boomed from the opposite side of the infirmary. Kyungsoo rushed to Chanyeol, almost falling over from the dizziness brought on by teleporting, and Jongin hovered over him until he reached the cot.

Chanyeol was sitting up, his skin pale but not sickly so and his body clean of any visible blood. He still looked worse for wear, with his hair messed and clumped and his eyes sunken with dark circles underneath. None of that mattered though, not when he was alive again.

“I'm glad to see you're alright.” Chanyeol looked up and down Kyungsoo’s person as he spoke, and Kyungsoo wanted to roll his eyes. Chanyeol was taking his big brother role a little too seriously if he’d died, come back to life, and then still worried about how _Kyungsoo_ was faring.

“I am, more than alright. Thanks to you. How’s our local hero feeling, though?”

“Physically, not too bad. Emotionally and mentally? I'm still deciding.” Chanyeol’s smile wasn't as wide as normal but it was more than enough for Kyungsoo to see that the other was handling the situation better than anyone could have hoped for. He glanced down to Baekhyun, who sat next to the cot with his head down and a hand holding Chanyeol’s, then over to Yixing and Seulgi who stood to the side. “They've explained everything already. I'm officially a part of the secret circle now, just holding out on the membership card.”

“You only get the membership card when you complete… _The Initiation.”_ Seulgi piped up from leaning against the wall, her voice deep and intentionally ominous sounding. Jongin, on Kyungsoo’s left, heaved a sigh as Yixing chuckled with a shake of his head.

“Don’t worry, there’s no such thing.” He assured, laughing again as Chanyeol looked to be on the verge of believing it anyway.

“...That we’re allowed to talk about, at least.” Seulgi whispered, her hand up to cover Yixing’s view of her mouth as she stared at the half-blood seriously.

 _“Oh my god…”_ Chanyeol was wide-eyed and clearly concerned for what he was going to have to do to earn the vampires’ respect. Baekhyun then, for the first time in the exchange, moved. He pulled on Chanyeol’s hand, gaining his attention immediately.

“They’re just messing with you, Yeol.”

“Oh?”

“Actually,” Seulgi interrupted, looking at Chanyeol with a teasing grin. “The initiation is getting fooled into believing there’s an initiation. So, well done, kid. You passed with flying colours.”

“Aw, nice!”

Baekhyun sighed, letting go of the taller’s hand. “That’s not a compliment, Yeol.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed!!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg, it took me two whole months to update this T-T I'm so sorry  
> ...Happy Valentine's?

“Why won't you let him join? Luhan is a lone vampire with a power, he wouldn't ruin our reputation.”

“You mean to tell me that there’s a powerful vampire -- with _telekinesis,_ not less -- that not only doesn't have a clan, but also just so happened to befriend you and accidentally let you catch him using his power? Sehun, that's ridiculous. I'm not letting him into our trusted circle just because you vouch for him after knowing him for five minutes.”

“You did with those humans! And a _half-blood!”_

“You know that was done out of necessity, what’s done is done and now we have to take responsibility for them.”

A frustrated groan thundered through the building, the following door slam echoing in its wake. Kyungsoo kept his mouth squeezed in a tight line, looking up at Jongin to gauge whether this sort of behavior was normal around the Kim residence or not. The older looked just as tense, with his eyebrows slightly scrunched and his jaw moving as he bit the inside of his cheek. The two continued to stand in silence for a few more moments, Kyungsoo waiting for the vampire to make the next move.

Eventually, Jongin reached down to clasp Kyungsoo’s hand in his own, gently pulling forward as they finished off their quick tour.

“So, the second floor is basically all a communal area. The infirmary, you may remember from last week, is behind this door to the left. The double doors at the end of the corridor lead to the dining room, and this door on the right leads to… Junmyeon’s office.” Jongin’s voice ended in a whisper, and he glanced around tentatively as he spoke. In an effort to leave sooner, Kyungsoo nodded quickly to signify he understood.

The human could tell that the argument a few minutes prior had taken place in this area. Kyungsoo was sure Junmyeon was still inside his office, but he wasn't scared about coming face-to-face with the clan leader. He knew that Sehun had slammed and stomped his way from this room, and though thankfully they hadn't crossed paths yet, he was still on the lookout. He didn't want to see Sehun, especially not after the way he had spoken about humans and half-bloods. It didn't take a supernatural genius to tell that he clearly didn't like Kyungsoo or his friends, and the college kid had no problem staying out of the glaring vampire’s way.

“Well, that about wraps it up. Let's get up to my floor so we can start looking over your civil law notes.”

Kyungsoo groaned at the reminder of the visit’s purpose, nodding sluggishly in stubborn agreeance. He let his feet drag as Jongin pulled him towards the elevator, their hands still intertwined between them. Only when Jongin threatened to teleport him up to the eighth floor did he stop whining, not wanting a repeat of the nauseating experience from a week ago.

After reaching the familiar level, the two sat on the floor with their backs leant on the cream couch. Kyungsoo got his notebook and laptop out of his backpack, looking over his lecture slides and personal notes with the law major. Jongin was articulate with his explanations of terminology that Kyungsoo didn’t understand, and was kind enough not to point out how obviously behind on the coursework the human was.

“I’ve still got some textbooks from my first-year subjects, I think there’s something on administrative law…” Jongin got up off the floor, and Kyungsoo took the opportunity to stretch after the hour they'd already spent studying.

He followed Jongin as the taller wandered passed what looked like a home theatre -- _are you kidding_ \-- before opening an ornate door to a master bedroom. Kyungsoo peeked in, surprised at how casually messy it was. The rest of the Kim’s home he'd seen had all been spotless, but Jongin’s bedroom had a collection of ballet posters on one of the walls and a series of jackets strangling his desk chair, his actual desk not in a much better condition. Kyungsoo was honestly a little relieved at this discovery, it was good to know that Jongin was at least partly what the human had initially expected.

Jongin trailed a finger over his bookshelf, muttering titles printed on the spines as he went, and Kyungsoo flopped himself on the vampire’s hastily-made king-sized bed.

“So…” Kyungsoo began, folding his hands behind his head. “This place was clearly not built to be a single family’s home, so that must have been one hell of a renovation.”

“Like you wouldn't believe.” Jongin laughed distractedly with his back still facing the bed, now kneeling down to look at the bottom shelves. “Junmyeon and Yixing bought the place ages ago, and did the reconstruction in small amounts under the guise of repairs. We don't want people to know we own this whole building, so this way we just seem like we own one or two apartments between us.”

“Why didn't you just build a normal mansion somewhere and all live there, if you didn’t want people to know you owned all this?” Kyungsoo mused over how unnatural the words ‘normal’ and ‘mansion’ sounded next to each other, lifting his head from the comforter to let his eyes continue to trail along Jongin’s movements as he collected something from the lowest shelf.

“I mean, we're all a clan and therefore a kind of family, but we're also all adults. We all need our room. And besides, we don't want to come across as that aloof family that lives in a mansion on the hill, y’know? The point is to blend in.” Jongin cracked a smile as he walked back to Kyungsoo, settling the textbook he brought with him on the edge of the bed as he sat next to where the first-year lay.

“Yeah, you’re right. The way you guys only ever socialise with each other and chase everyone else away totally helps in blending in. That’s why no one at college knows who any of you are.” Kyungsoo couldn’t help smirking up at Jongin as the older scoffed. The human wasn’t one to rub it in, but he couldn’t pretend that they’re distant exclusivity had done anything other than make the group of vampires even more talked about.

“Maybe the execution wasn’t great, but there was merit to the plan... I mean, no one got hurt before I broke the no-human-interaction rule.”

Whereas before Jongin had seemed amusedly displeased by Kyungsoo’s jab at the reputation around the Kim family, his expression quickly turned downcast, and the vampire broke eye contact to fiddle with his fingers in his lap. Kyungsoo sighed at the weighted look the taller sported, and he sat up to shift closer. Grabbing Jongin’s hand, he brought it up to rest against his own lips in a feather light touch.

“You don’t regret it, do you?” Kyungsoo whispered, his mouth pressing the words into the caramel skin at the back of Jongin’s palm. Though tentative to hear the truth, he trained his eyes on Jongin’s reaction, watching when the older bit his lower lip before responding.

“I regret getting you hurt, I regret getting Chanyeol _killed.”_

“We’ve been over this: I forgive you, I’m still here.” Kyungsoo pulled Jongin’s hand from his lips, holding it against his chest instead, hoping Jongin could feel the calm heartbeat there. He was desperate to get the older to understand. “And you’ve spoken heaps with Chanyeol since. I know he freaked out the first time he... drank blood-” he tried to keep his disgusted expression to a minimum “-but I also know that he doesn’t blame you. Hell, he barely even blames Ja-”

“And that’s probably the worst part,” Jongin interrupted, slipping his hand from Kyungsoo’s grip to frame it around the shorter’s face. Kyungsoo felt the feverish warmth radiate from the older’s skin as fingers traced over his jaw, and he couldn’t hold back a satisfied sigh. “When I’m here with you, I don’t regret it. Even if I should.”

“You definitely shouldn’t,” Kyungsoo was quick to assure, gripping at the soft shirt material that stretched over Jongin’s biceps as soon as the vampire’s other hand began trailing down his side to settle on his waist. He felt entirely distracted, and hoped that Jongin wouldn’t make them return to studying when he was touching him like that. The second-year had initially suggested the session as a study date, so it was only right they engage in some actual date activities. Talking about vampires and regrets though, wasn’t exactly what Kyungsoo had in mind.

Thankfully, Jongin must have had a similar thought process, as the next thing Kyungsoo knew, Jongin was slowly leaning forward. The human met him in the middle, closing his eyes as they melted into a kiss. It was a firm press of lips and Kyungsoo immediately knew that Jongin was going to be okay. Given a little bit of time, he would surely get over his feelings of guilt.

When Jongin detached to re-angle their lips, Kyungsoo had already grown restless with the position. They both had to lean far forward, across their laps and the space between their knees on the bed, and Kyungsoo’s back began cramping in protest. Placing another chaste kiss to Jongin’s lips, Kyungsoo pulled away slightly. “Come over here.”

 _“You_ come over _here.”_ Jongin delivered small pecks down one cheek, and Kyungsoo could feel the grin against his skin.

He groaned in protest, not above pouting to get what he wanted.

“Why do I have to be the one to move? I asked first.” The tone displayed childish obstinance, and Kyungsoo hoped it was enough to get the taller to admit defeat. Though with the way his fingers were threaded in the shorter’s hair, the human quickly lost interest in being stubborn.

“Because I’m the upperclassman, duh.”

This time, Kyungsoo didn’t bother replying, wordlessly rolling onto his knees and shuffling forward. Jongin uncrossed his legs to make room and Kyungsoo plopped himself in Jongin’s lap, the older’s hands naturally placing themselves on the younger’s hips.

“That’s better,” Kyungsoo purred, easily aligning his and his boyfriend’s lips with the closer proximity. Jongin used the chance to rake his fingertips down the first-year’s back and Kyungsoo hummed in response. He could feel the heat radiating off Jongin’s upper body as they almost touched, and snaked a hand in between them to trace his fingertips down the vampire’s chest.

“Hahh, Kyungsoo…” Jongin broke from the kiss, but Kyungsoo leaned back in after only a moment taken to catch a breath. He turned Jongin’s surprise into an opportunity, licking along the still-open seam of his mouth. This resulted in another shuddered moan that may have been words if not swallowed up by Kyungsoo, and the music major inwardly preened at the noise.

Only once Kyungsoo had gotten gutsy enough to probe Jongin’s tongue with his own, did his stomach decide to interrupt the pair with a high-pitched whine followed by a deep grumble.

Jongin leaned away from the younger with a breathless chuckle. “Someone’s hungry.”

Kyungsoo continued to comb his fingers through Jongin’s hair as he grimaced, embarrassed by the noise he'd made. “Can you blame me? We’ve been studying for ages.”

 _“Oh,”_ Jongin said with feigned understanding. “Is this what you call studying..?”

He leant down again to press a fleeting scattering of kisses along Kyungsoo’s throat, trailing back up to nip playfully right over Kyungsoo’s pulse point, and it was the human’s turn to hum indulgently at the attention. The excited buzzing along his skin brought on by the ministrations had him immediately feeling hot and bothered all over again, but the mood was definitely killed by now. His annoyingly apparent appetite had made sure of that.

“Seriously, Jongin.” Contrary to his comment, he giggled as he spoke. “Let’s get food.”

With a promise to get back to _actual_ studying later, the two wandered back down to the second floor, all the while Kyungsoo was nervous that they may run into Sehun. Thankfully though, they did not, and the human didn’t bother hiding his sigh of relief when they found Jongdae in the dining room alone only for the third-year to tell them that Sehun had left straight after the argument with Junmyeon.

Soon after, Krystal entered the room via the swinging door attached to the kitchen. She looked surprised by the addition of Jongin and Kyungsoo in the room, but quickly smiled in greeting.

“I made you some sandwiches, I thought you could eat while you were studying,” she explained, placing two platters of food on the long dining table in front of where Jongdae sat with a glass of soda. “But I suppose if you’re already down here, we can all eat together.”

“Actually, that’s a great idea: it’d be a lot more time efficient if we snacked while working.” Jongin glanced at Kyungsoo before reaching for one of the platters, but the human was having none of it. He waved his arm as if shooing away the idea, intentionally slapping the vampires hand off course, though hoping it appeared accidental.

“Of course not. Krystal worked hard on these, it would be far more polite to just eat here.” The musical student made a show of sitting down opposite the twin and picking up a crustless quarter of a sandwich.

When he took the first bite and overreacted at how good it was, Jongin sighed and took a seat next to the human. “You’re really not fooling anyone, Soo. I know you’re just avoiding your studies.”

“Me? Never,” Kyungsoo said with mock seriousness. It was harder than he’d expected to keep a straight face, considering he only wanted to smile after hearing Jongin call him ‘Soo’ for the first time. It sounded great coming from the older, and Kyungsoo wondered if he’d start saying it frequently, or if it was just an exasperated slip of the tongue. If it turned out to be the latter though, Kyungsoo wouldn’t mind annoying Jongin again and again just to hear him say it more.

“Don’t take this the wrong way.” Jongdae sat opposite Jongin, and he motioned to Kyungsoo with a half-eaten sandwich. “But, it’s sorta weird seeing you not all, y’know, in distress.”

“Jongdae…” It was Krystal’s turn to sigh disapprovingly, and Kyungsoo heard the _thwap_ as she half-heartedly hit the other vampire’s side.

“No, it’s okay,” Kyungsoo intervened. He fiddled with the bite of food he had left, almost making a shredded piece of lettuce fall on the mahogany table, and he tried to keep his tone as light as possible. “I’ll admit, you’ve caught me at some pretty bad times.”

“So, _anyway.”_ Kyungsoo didn’t know if Jongin had sent a stern look to Jongdae as he hadn’t lifted his gaze from his lunch, his mind flickering back to the tragic events of the recent past, but the clipped tone was a good indication he had. “Where’s Seulgi?”

Krystal explained that Seulgi went to deliver more blood bags to Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s dorm, but the human wasn’t listening. His mind's eye was blinded by red and pain and all he heard was the familiar crunching pop of a neck being snapped. Over and over again.

_Pop._

_Pop._

_Pop._

Chanyeol’s hair was matted, his clothes crumpled, and his face sickeningly purple. Baekhyun was screaming.

_Pop. Pop. Pop._

He’d only been caught because he was protecting Kyungsoo against Jackson’s attack. He still couldn’t believe the skull-jeweled man had been _Jackson_ at all _._ It was too strange to consider the rude soccer player as the shadowy figure that had followed him from the library and had sunk his teeth into Kyungsoo’s neck.

_Pop. Pop. Pop._

He reached up and felt the smooth length of skin that had spewed blood only a bit over a week ago, and his fingertips came away clean. Kyungsoo wondered if Chanyeol’s neck was as smooth, or if the bite wound left scars. Scars others could see, of course. He already knew it had to have left scars others couldn’t.

Did Chanyeol feel it too? The trauma sitting on his shoulders, its claws digging deep into the base of his skull? Did Jongin feel the churning pit of quicksand in his chest, an hourglass counting down to when the guilt ate him alive? Or was Kyungsoo the only one wearing a smile like it was a sign saying _“I’m fine, don’t ask about it”?_

The sensation of a foreign hand dropping onto his thigh had him flinching, looking up into Jongin’s concerned eyes as the hand rubbed up and down the length of his leg. “Kyungsoo? Are you okay?”

The only answer Kyungsoo thought appropriate was a smile, and he pressed his hand against Jongin’s, stilling the movement but entwining their fingers. He plopped the last bite of his sandwich, sans the piece of lettuce that _had_ fallen onto the table while he’d not been paying attention, into his mouth. The repetitive motion of chewing was calming, and he controlled his breathing as he shoved his nightmares back into a chained box under the figurative bed in his head.

“Mhmm, what were we talking about?”

“I was just saying,” Krystal began softly, giving Kyungsoo a supportive smile, “that you shouldn’t take Sehun’s actions or words to heart.” The female twin looked off to the side, her smile turning into a thoughtful frown, and Kyungsoo wondered how someone as sweet as she appeared could have almost identical DNA with someone like Sehun. “He’s going through a lot- _has been_ going through a lot for a while now.”

“Yeah, nothing's been the same for the guy since Tao left.” Jongdae shook his head and reached for another sandwich as he spoke. “I knew they were close but, it's been _years._ ”

“It hasn't been that many years,” Jongin added weakly. “Besides, none of us took the news well. We all felt betrayed, including you, Dae.”

“Yeah, but nothing a little soft rock and some TLC couldn't fix.”

“Ew, who's giving you tender love and care?” Krystal cringed jokingly, and Jongin pretended to gag on his sandwich. All the while Jongdae tried to take back his words, saying he'd not meant it like that.

Kyungsoo had no clue what they were talking about, but he felt calmer around the other three, picking up their infectious laughter.

“Oh! Sorry,” Krystal apologised with a hand covering her mouth and the last of her dainty giggles. “We didn't mean to leave you out. Tao was a former member of our clan.”

Kyungsoo nodded like it was new information, but he'd already guessed that part. Jongin squeezed the hand he still held against the shorter’s leg, and met Kyungsoo’s eye when he looked up.

“Tao joined our clan in the 70’s, before Sehun and Krystal. As soon as we moved into this building though, a few years back, he ran off to join the C-Clan,” Jongin explained. “Leaving a clan is a big deal, let alone to go and join the rogue group in the same area.”

“We were all shocked,” Krystal continued, “but since Sehun had grown closest to Tao, he was especially devastated. There was no warning or anything. One day he was here, and the next he was over there. We still don't even know why or how they convinced him.”

“It's all good now though.” Jongdae was clearly trying to raise the spirits with a cheeky grin and a pat to Krystal’s shoulder. “Time heals all wounds, and Sehun apparently has this Luhan guy now.”

Jongdae’s words sparked something in Kyungsoo’s memory, and he wondered if Luhan could possibly have been the spa worker he and Baekhyun had spied with Sehun a few weeks back. He’d not seen the tall vampire smile in anyone else’s company before, not even Krystal’s, though maybe it was just Kyungsoo’s general proximity that made Sehun frown so much: he had no idea.

“Yeah, I've not even met him yet.” Krystal’s tone had a degree of somberness to it; maybe the twins weren't as close as Kyungsoo had assumed. “I wonder if he's told him about me.”

“Of course he has,” Jongin said emphatically. “You're his sister he's been protecting since you were born. You mean everything to him.”

“Definitely.” Jongdae scoffed, stealing the sandwich Krystal had been toying with but not eaten, and began shoving it in his mouth. “I bet he's told Luhan how you both avoided your parents’ attempt at tethering and escaped their clutches thirty times by now.”

Kyungsoo picked up on the strange use of the word ‘tethering’, unsure if it was another vampire phrase that meant something specific or not. He'd have to ask Jongin later.

“Yeah. Right, of course,” Krystal agreed with little enthusiasm in her voice. She cleared her throat when no one jumped in with anymore conversation and Kyungsoo felt the heavy atmosphere settle along his skin like the air was tired of floating. Maybe he wasn’t the only one pretending to be okay after all.

“So, do you think Junmyeon’s going to come out for food or should I take something into his office?” she asked, getting up from the table to move all the sandwiches to one platter before stacking them.

“God, I wish Yixing were here. He’s been gone what? Five days? And they’ve already gotten into a fight.” Jongdae sighed as he spoke, resting his head in his hands defeatedly. “The court better give him back soon or I’m rioting.”

Krystal cracked a smile but Jongin just nodded his head in agreement, and Kyungsoo guessed everyone forgot there was a human there too and that he had almost no idea about vampire stuff.

“The court _has_ him?” he inquired, prompting Jongin to sit up straighter when he realised the shorter had no clue what Jongdae meant.

“Oh, yeah. Yixing was called up for court duty, where aligned vampires sit in on Nosferitian Court cases and decide if individuals or clans are guilty of accused infringements of the Nosferitian Decree, as well as-”

“It’s basically vamp jury duty.” Jongdae interrupted Jongin’s explanation with a smirk, but received little more than a pouty frown as punishment. “And to answer your original question, Krystallina, I reckon we’ll be lucky if Jun comes out for dinner, let alone lunch.”

“I’ll go take these to him then.” Krystal excused herself as she carried the tray out the frosty glassed double doors, and the remaining three heard as she knocked at the clan leader’s office.

“So… what are we gonna get up to now?” Jongdae asked perkily as he leant back in his chair, looking back and forth between Kyungsoo and Jongin with his eyebrows raised in expectation.

“Well, _we,”_ Jongin began, bringing their still-clasped hands up to rest on the tabletop where Jongdae could see, “are going to continue studying. _You,_ however, aren’t exactly invited.”

There was a stillness in his smile as Jongdae watched the pair stand from their seats and begin to depart the dining room. The silence in the space was invaded only with the hollow echoes of Jongin and Kyungsoo’s footsteps on the marbled flooring as they walked away, and the latter waited a second too long for Jongdae’s jovial quip.

“Heh, no worries. I’ve got places to be and people to see, anyway,” he said, though he made no move from his chair. Kyungsoo sent one more smile over his shoulder as Jongin led him out and around to the elevator, hoping that Jongdae would interrupt their studying session, if only to distract the human from the horror that was his civil law unit.

“Before we get back to studying,” Kyungsoo said, tracing invisible designs against the hand he held in his own, “I have a quick question.”

 

_~Wild Flowers Worth Knowing~_

 

When Kyungsoo knocked twice politely, he didn’t expect the door to be ripped open and for Chanyeol to shout at him in misplaced desperation.

 _“Baekhyun?”_ he asked, not even entirely unobscured by the door before he did so. As soon as the taller discovered it wasn’t his roommate that was knocking, but in fact his roommate’s best friend, Chanyeol wilted against the doorframe.

“You need to stop moving so much, kid.” The feminine voice came from within the dorm and Kyungsoo was honestly surprised to hear such a concerned edge to Seulgi’s tone. “The more energy you use, the more blood you’ll need. Come, sit.”

Kyungsoo took that as his cue to walk in, closing the door behind him and wrapping Chanyeol’s unresponsive arm over his shoulders. He walked the half-blood over to the faux double bed in the centre of the room, where Chanyeol collapsed on it next to Seulgi.

“No need to look so disappointed when you see me,” Kyungsoo joked, hoping to relieve some of the bad vibes in the situation he’d just walked into. He couldn’t believe he’d picked whatever drama was taking place in Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s dorm over spending more one-on-one time with Jongin after they’d finished studying. Now he was there though, seeing his friend in such a state, he couldn’t really turn back. “So, where _is_ Baekhyun?”

“Gone. Just gone.” Chanyeol spoke breathlessly as he lay on the mattress like a rag doll. His skin seemed permanently paler than it had been before he’d turned, and his long limbs looked more like a marionette’s when he moved: like his mind was a degree disconnected, and he only went through the motions based on semi-distant memories that plucked the strings attached to his body through familiarity more than necessity.

Throughout the past week, a dull ghost hovered like a thick fog in Chanyeol’s eyes and the faraway look he gave created the perfect projection screen for Kyungsoo to watch his trauma on repeat. _Pop, pop, pop._ They hadn’t talked much and Kyungsoo wasn’t sure if things would ever be the same.

“We were discussing the terms of being a feeder and Baekhyun needed some space. It’s a lot to take in, he just needs a little time.” Seulgi filled Kyungsoo in from a more objective perspective, and though he didn’t know exactly what a feeder was, it wasn’t too difficult to guess given the context.

“It’s a lot to take in for _him?”_ Chanyeol asked with a bitterness Kyungsoo had never heard from him before, and wet sand started spinning in his stomach until the human was scared he’d throw up his guilt all over the dormitory floor.

“Ch-Chanyeol…” he began, knowing he had to say something, yet also knowing that giving a simple sorry for his part in everything was like trying to mend the taller’s heart with sticky tape -- really shit sticky tape. “I can’t imagine-”

“You said you were bitten too?” Chanyeol spoke over Kyungsoo, not looking at him, still having not moved a muscle since Kyungsoo dumped him where he lay.

The nineteen-year-old remembered mentioning it fairly late on the night of Chanyeol’s turning, as a part of his abridged explanation of events that led up to Chanyeol being attacked. He hadn’t gone into much detail though, for entirely deliberate reasons, but he knew out of everyone, Chanyeol deserved to hear about it if he wanted to.

“Yes, the night before.” Kyungsoo glanced at Seulgi who nodded and moved to the kitchen and began making something. It wasn’t a lot of privacy, considering the kitchenette was in the same room as the rest of the dorm, but the gesture was welcome. Kyungsoo moved to Seulgi’s old spot on the bed, not daring to reach a hand out toward the other yet.

“But you didn’t die?” The last word was hollow, like an eggshell with no albumen or yolk inside, and Kyungsoo didn’t want to touch it, fearful that if he did it would shatter.

“No, Jongdae got there before that could happen,” Kyungsoo said. “If that was even what... _he_ was planning for me.”

Chanyeol hummed in understanding, and his head bobbed in a tired nod. It was the first movement he’d made since acknowledging Kyungsoo’s presence and that fact alone was relieving.

“I can’t believe it took death for me to finally meet your elusive boyfriend and his family of wackos.” Chanyeol’s voice was raspy but he cracked a smile and it took Kyungsoo by surprise. He stared longer than he should have, starved of seeing Chanyeol acting like his normal jovial self. After the night of turning, Kyungsoo couldn’t really face the older beyond being in the same room with others there as well, though Jongin and Seulgi had visited him often. He heard from them that he’d been dealing with everything well, but there was still something empty about him that made Kyungsoo regret everything.

“Hey now,” Seulgi chirped up from the far side of the room, leaning over a steaming mug by the sink. “I’m right here, kid.”

“I know.” Chanyeol aimed the comment at the brunette vampire in a loud and mocking tone, before directing his gaze back to Kyungsoo with a more serious, vulnerable expression. “Jongin is nice, though... He cares about you a lot.”

His eyes carried a sharpness that had Kyungsoo seeing determination instead of hauntedness, and he smiled at Chanyeol’s words. The blatant approval rushed over him like the first cool wave at a hot beach, and it washed away some of the sand clogging his lungs. The rest of his guilt remained though, and his smile simmered down into an apologetic look.

“I’m so sorry-”

“No. Don’t.” Chanyeol’s voice broke and his hand whipped out to grab Kyungsoo’s with quick tightness. With one surprised glance Kyungsoo could see the wetness gathered in the other’s eyes and the fire burning in his gaze. “If I'd known then what I do now, I still would have done the same thing.”

Kyungsoo himself had to take a deep breath to digest the heaviness in the words, the absolute sincerity in the meaning. If loyalty were a currency, Chanyeol would spend his days in the highest luxury. As it happened though, it wasn’t, and that left entirely decent people like Chanyeol as half-dead, half-immortal beings that were constantly on the verge of losing their minds and ravaging on all their loved ones. Kyungsoo tried not to think about it too hard. Instead, he placed his hand over the half-blood’s and gave him a watery smile.

“C’mon you two, stop being so mushy,” Seulgi said, combing through the fridge. “I have a reputation to uphold, and just being near that display of emotions is tarnishing it.”

She nudged the door shut as she turned back around, tossing a red pouch next to Chanyeol’s head on the bed. The vampire suggested he eat, seeing as he’d used up a lot of energy since his last feeding, and Kyungsoo couldn’t imagine what must have gone down before he’d arrived at the dorm.

Chanyeol looked at Kyungsoo with uncertain eyes, but the younger of the two let go of his hand and gestured to the blood bag encouragingly. “C’mon Popeye, eat your spinach.”

“That’s actually a pretty good comparison,” Chanyeol said with a remnant of perkiness as he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. The movement clearly took effort from the exhausted half-blood but Kyungsoo didn’t want to offer help out of fear that Chanyeol wouldn’t take it.

“Uhh, no it’s not?” Seulgi moved back to the kitchenette, pushing aside a few short stacks of instant noodles to jump up onto the counter. “No offense, kid, but you have terrible taste in pop culture references.”

“What? No way!” Chanyeol was indignant, but also distracted as he tried to pry the plastic casing off the tube of the blood bag. The way the liquid swirled within as Chanyeol’s grip on the pouch increased in pressure both nauseated and hypnotised Kyungsoo. The deep red of the blood was striking when juxtaposed with the ashy hue of the half-blood’s skin and the scene as a whole looked horrendously _unnatural._ “Popeye’s a classic.”

“In my day we entertained ourselves by playing yutnori, not watching some belligerent sailor frolic around trying to impress some superficial mare.”

 _“Seulgi,”_ Chanyeol all but growled, suddenly getting frustrated with the packaging. He eventually attempted to rip the seal off with his teeth, and just as Kyungsoo was going to cut in to tell him to go easy on it, the piece of plastic flew outwards and ricocheted off Kyungsoo’s shoulder with no following apology. The velocity wasn’t too fast, but the blow still stung slightly.

“Okay, okay. I’m backing off.” Seulgi’s tone was relenting, but she shared a look with Kyungsoo that was both weary and resigned. “Hey, kid,” she said to the human, glancing back over to Chanyeol for a moment, “come over here. Let’s swap spots.”

Kyungsoo yielded with a confused frown, and meandered passed the vampire to take over her position against the kitchen counter. When he turned back to face the bed, it was to witness just how aggressively his friend was drinking, if you could even call it that.

Chanyeol sat hunched over, squeezing the pouch so hard that the outflow was more than he could fit in his mouth at any one time. Thick rivulets streamed down the outside of the bag, as well as over Chanyeol’s hands, staining them a morbid crimson as he gulped the liquid down ravenously. He heaved deep and irregular bursts of air through his nose, his shoulders rolling up and down with each breath. Kyungsoo couldn’t look away from his fellow college student, shocked still at the sight of his stalwart friend, ultimately his _savior,_ who truly looked more monster than human in that moment.

When he managed to tear his eyes away from the half-blood, his gaze found Seulgi who sat on the edge of the bed. She was a safe distance from Chanyeol, who continued to suck the blood bag dry like it was a juice box, and between both him and Kyungsoo. In fact, the surreal image concocted a similar one in the human’s mind: of a hero standing between Kyungsoo’s pitiful figure lying on the ground and the remorseful attacker by the door. Thinking back on it now, the almost-bite from Hyunsik seemed like it happened in another life, and not at all like it was practically a fortnight ago.

Chanyeol stirred Kyungsoo from his thoughts, the IT major panting violently as he threw his head back from the virtually empty bag. He took but a moment’s break before diving down and licking the remaining blood off his hands almost obsessively, the plastic cringing in his tight hold. The human looked back at Seulgi, who continued to perch herself on the edge of the bed closest to Kyungsoo and the door like she was ready to jump into action. Though she was only acting precautious, it was hard to believe that Chanyeol would even try to pounce on Kyungsoo. They were close friends; the tall goofball wasn’t going to attack him or anything. Looking back at how Chanyeol’s eyes had darkened though, had Kyungsoo inching closer to the exit. Just in case.

“How much does he need?” The question was obviously posed to Seulgi, as the first-year didn’t think Chanyeol present enough to answer in his current state. The vampire made an unsure noise from the back of her throat and it didn’t help with Kyungsoo’s growing concerns for his personal safety. He didn’t want to be paranoid, but as the saying goes: once bitten, twice shy.

“Ehhh, hard to say.” Seulgi stayed staring at Chanyeol as he continued to squeeze the blood bag to suck up the last drops left. “He’s been on a restricted diet of one or two bags a day, ‘cause the Court will get suspicious if we, _as a vampire clan,_ ask for any more resources than what we already have,” she said. “But, when he signs up to the Court with a feeder, then he’ll probably be provided with two bags a day plus feeder biting.”

Seulgi spoke way too nonchalantly for Kyungsoo’s liking. _‘Feeder biting’?_ The idea that everyone expected Baekhyun to go through the pain of being bitten on a daily basis was abhorrent -- Baekhyun shouldn’t have to pay for Jackson’s wrongdoing, for Kyungsoo’s recklessness. The sand was building up again, tightening his chest like a coil being wound too many times, and he struggled to breathe under the pressure.

“Listen, kid.” Seulgi whirled to look at Kyungsoo as soon as Chanyeol threw down the bone-dry pouch. She stood up and created a physical barrier just as the half-blood locked eyes with the human, his gaze looking dark and empty, devoid of any recognition of who Kyungsoo was. “He’s hungry, and newly turned. It’s a little dangerous right now, maybe come back later, yeah?”

Chanyeol growled out an entirely non-human noise and Seulgi spread her arms out and crouched slightly like a wildlife expert who tamed caged beasts. Kyungsoo had to look away at that point, unable to stomach the vision of Chanyeol as a puppet to animalistic instincts -- he didn’t want to see what he had been disgraced to.

“Go and track down Baekhyun, would ya? I don’t want him alone right now, and I’d do it myself but I’m kinda needed here.”

Kyungsoo heard the faint creaking of the mattress more than saw Chanyeol start to ascend from the bed, the sound soft enough that the human knew he’d have to be moving calculatedly like a cat, and he guessed he was the prey.

“Get outta here, kid!”

It was the final push Kyungsoo needed to bolt from his spot by the kitchen counter and make a run for the door. He heard the sudden movement behind him, of loud springs squeaking and hurried footsteps. The latch took longer than he’d hoped it would to open, seeing as his hands were shaking, but when he managed to swing the door open enough, he threw himself through the gap he’d made and slammed it closed behind him as quickly as possible.

He stood with his back pressed to the door as he felt the adrenaline drumming through him, and his breathing was erratic. A heavy thud vibrated against the length of his spine a few moments later, and Kyungsoo had no idea if it was Chanyeol that had just hit the other side of the exit or perhaps Seulgi, but he didn’t want to stick around to find out.

 _“If I'd known then what I do now, I still would have done the same thing,”_ Chanyeol had said heartfeltly. He was still the loyal friend he’d always been, deep down: there was no question of that. He’d only acted the way he had because, as Seulgi had said, he wasn’t drinking enough blood as well as the fact he was newly turned.

Kyungsoo repeated the words in his head, hoping they would overwrite his memories of the latter half of his visit. He took out his phone from his pocket with still-trembling hands, trying to ground himself with the heavy feeling of the cool and smooth handset as he walked down the hallway to the elevators. It took him twice as long as it normally would just to send Baekhyun a simple text saying _‘wanna talk?’_ and he almost screeched when he got startled by another student leaving their dorm.

By the time he’d made his way out of the building, he already had a response from his best friend saying _‘il park’._ It was a bit of a walk, but Kyungsoo enjoyed the fresh air, calming repetition of movement, and the time alone to try and settle himself. Though it was comforting to have Jongin there to help rouse Kyungsoo from his rumination, as he had earlier that same day, the human wouldn’t always have his boyfriend there to offer support. He had to learn to save himself from drowning in his own thoughts and feelings when alone.

Thankfully, by the time he arrived at his destination he felt more composed. He was there to give Baekhyun his shoulder, he reminded himself, not to talk about his own issues. Baekhyun’s problems were not only more important, but also Kyungsoo’s fault, so he’d try and be the best friend he could be, even if it was a little late.

The grass was wet and slippery beneath his feet as he walked through the gates to Ilsan Lake Park, and the chilled air blew passed softly in a comforting touch. He hadn’t been to the park since his carnival date with Jongin, and Kyungsoo could almost still hear the echo of the children’s laughter, clanking ride chains and high-pitched circus music on the breeze.

There was no metal prize wall, fortunately, nor any ferris wheel. The undulating expanse of green was only embellished by a few trees and a scattering of lampposts, and it was as if the whole event two Saturdays ago had never happened. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that, but pushed it out of his mind as he spotted a lone figure sitting beneath a wide-brimmed evergreen tree by the lake in the distance.

He wasn’t entirely sure where he and Baekhyun were at emotionally anymore, as they hadn’t spoken all that much since Chanyeol’s turning. Partly because Baekhyun had been understandably stressed and distant, but mostly because of Kyungsoo’s hesitation to see the half-blood after everything. _Yet another mistake he’d made._

“Hey,” he croaked as he sat down next to the other human, crossing his legs and leaning against the rough tree bark. His best friend nodded distractedly, his gaze following the soft ripples across the lake before them. There was a lost expression ghosting his face, and Kyungsoo studied the lines next to Baekhyun’s mouth. It was unusual to get to see the older so close without them both laughing, or at least smiling, about something. Now though, there was no laughter or chatter, just the weathered face, the breeze that ruffled his blonde hair and the unobtrusive lapping of the water against the pebbles.

“Chanyeol and I have been dating for, like, a year…” The second-year’s eyes continued to look out into the free body of water, and Kyungsoo turned back to watch it as well. “We'd never even said ‘I love you’ before. But that was the first thing he said as a half-blood, did you know?” Baekhyun’s laugh was a twig underfoot, brittle and cracked. “Who does that? Who wakes up from literal death and just blurts “I love you”?”

The last question was obviously rhetorical, and Kyungsoo had no idea what else to answer. He hadn’t known Chanyeol had said that, nor did he know what to do with the information now he had it. Instead, he picked at the dry grass by his leg: the only expanse of land that had been shaded from the earlier rain. It was still overcast well into the afternoon, and the clouds filtered everything with a dull, bluish hue. He knew it would rain again, possibly soon, but the gentle wind and fresh smell of water made Kyungsoo want to take a nap.

“I just wanted to date him, Kyungsoo. It sounds bad but, I just… I never signed up for this.” A rough edge threaded through his voice, different from the soft and confused one he’d spoken with earlier. It sounded wrong when mixed with the peaceful sounds of their environment, and Kyungsoo couldn’t help but flinch when Baekhyun grabbed a small, jagged stone and threw it into the lake. The rock made a heavy _plop!_ as it broke the surface, and a short tower of water shot in the air and fell back down in its wake. Though the stone itself was quickly swallowed up, the waves it sent in all directions continued outwards as the seconds of silence ticked by.

“It’s not bad, it’s realistic,” Kyungsoo started, and it was his turn to stare at the ripples in the lake while he felt two eyes trained on him. “I know more than anyone what it's like to be pushed into this world, to suddenly be dating a supernatural creature,” he said. “And it doesn't make you a bad person for wanting some time… Or for walking away.”

“Did you ever consider walking away from Jongin?”

Kyungsoo thought about it, looking over to see Baekhyun’s open expression; he wasn’t teasing, he genuinely wanted to know. “Yeah. But my immediate reaction, whenever I find out anything new about this, is always _‘okay, how can we work around this together?’_ You know? My first thought was never to get away from him, so I guess I just followed my heart?”

“That’s sappy. Say ‘followed your gut’, that’s more manly.” Baekhyun smirked slightly, and Kyungsoo could swear the clouds broke for a second to let the sunlight through.

“Pfft, whatever.” The first-year chanced bumping his shoulder into the older’s, and Baekhyun pressed back light-heartedly.

“But I know what you mean, about first reactions.” The second-year’s smile was quickly gone, replaced by a brooding frown as he looked down into his lap, and Kyungsoo noticed the black roots of his hair for the first time as they bled into the surrounding blonde of his crown. “Chanyeol needs me, and I need him. It’s not about that though.” A particularly strong gust of wind fanned Baekhyun’s fringe flat against his forehead, and he ran his hands through the locks a few times to get them out of his eyes. “This is like asking me to give up my freedom.”

“It _is_ a big commitment…” Kyungsoo couldn't imagine having to dedicate yourself to someone for the rest of your life, purely based on the fact they needed your blood to survive. It wasn't exactly the best way to establish a healthy relationship -- what if they broke up? “I'm sure that if you ever needed a break or want to stop then it can be arranged. The Kims can always-”

“No, Kyungsoo, you don't get it. It's a lifetime deal, really.” Baekhyun glared at the ground and the rough edge to his tone returned. “When I sign these papers I'll become his ‘feeder’, and if I ever stop being that then the Nosferitian Court will hunt me down and wipe my memory of all the vampire stuff,” he said, grabbing a handful of grass and ripping it out of the dirt. “I'll never be able to see Chanyeol again, I'll forget I even knew him at all.”

“Wipe your… memory?” The wind picked up, and suddenly the chill was too cold for Kyungsoo. He shivered, wondering how mind wiping was even possible. But if Jongin could teleport, maybe someone else had a power, or _symptom,_ that resulted in them being able to manipulate someone else’s mind: and the idea that that was possible was surprisingly terrifying.

Baekhyun stopped his frustrated pulling, turning to look at Kyungsoo’s worried face. He dropped the tuft of grass still clasped in his hand with a sigh, wiping it on the side of his pants, before draping his arm over Kyungsoo’s shoulder with a softness in his eyes.

“Yeah, that’s why Jongin and the clan were so reluctant to tell you anything. If the Court finds out you know, they’ll take you away and prosecute the Kims.” He squeezed Kyungsoo close, bringing his other hand up to rub warmth up and down the younger’s arm. “You won’t remember Jongin at all, and they probably wouldn’t let you remember me or Chanyeol either at this point…”

Kyungsoo hugged Baekhyun closer, unable to imagine having to give up the three people closest to him over a vampiric infection. It was inhumane, but then again, the Nosferitian Court was made up of vampires, not humans -- so maybe they didn’t have to be humane.

“I knew the Court were against humans knowing, but… but _oh my god.”_ The younger took in a deep breath while letting the sentence hang, pressing his face further against the second-year’s shoulder. The smell of vanilla and tiger grass was a comfort, and the nineteen-year-old re-focussed on Baekhyun. His best friend was already involved to an extent, and even that was too much. “Don’t do it -- just let Chanyeol sign up alone.”

Thin fingers patted down his hair, and Kyungsoo squeezed his eyes shut.

“Oh, Soo. Even if that were an option, you know I couldn’t do that,” Baekhyun consoled. “We’re a team.”

“What do you mean “even if that were an option”?”

“The Court doesn’t let a half-blood sign up unless they have a feeder. Seulgi says it’s like an insurance thing -- making sure that there are people taking responsibility for the half-blood if anything bad happens.” One more squeeze and Baekhyun let go of the younger, again flicking his fringe out of his eyes as Kyungsoo shivered at the sudden absence of warmth. “The bastards think putting down any non-aligned half-blood like a dog is doing the rest of humanity a service. It’s disgusting, and it forces people like Chan and me to sign on with them.”

Before Baekhyun could work himself up again, Kyungsoo reached out a hand and rubbed circles into the older’s back as a way of soothing him. The first-year turned to look back out over the lake and the rest of the park that rolled over the other side of the freshwater stream, noticing that the previously heavy clouds were starting to thin out. The horizon was lazily cycling through warm hues as the sun began to set and the pink clouds hung low in the sky, floating puffs of cotton candy that could be enjoyed from afar, but never touched.

The leaves rustled from directly above Kyungsoo and he leaned back to rest against the thick trunk. “I know it’s hard for both of you, so I want you to know I’m always here for you guys. Especially you, Baek.”

“Stop feeling guilty, Soo. If there’s someone to blame, I’ll be the first to blame them. But this isn’t on you, so don’t feel responsible.” Baekhyun rested his head against the rugged bark with closed eyes. “I should probably be thanking you, you know. You helped me make a decision.” He spoke with calm understanding, like he was experiencing a moment of clarity. “You don’t even want to know what the hour I was sitting here alone looked like, and neither do I… Probably like a shot from an angsty teen music video.”

Kyungsoo laughed joyously, and the jubilation didn’t end in a fit of coughing up sand this time. When he settled down, the college student breathed deeply and just enjoyed the way the peaceful wind had blown away the sandstorm in his chest, the grains disintegrating in three short gusts.

“Hey, Baek?” Kyungsoo spoke up again after the two had fallen into a serene silence, thinking back to a conversation he’d had earlier that day. “Do you know about tethering?”

“Hmm? No.” Baekhyun’s voice was noncommittal, as if he’d just woken up, and his eyes remained closed as he responded.

“Apparently, when a vampire is turned, they can become tethered to the one that turned them. It means they basically do everything the original vampire wants them to: like a mind-controlled slave.”

“Oh, wow, really.”

“Yeah, and I was curious if it was possible for half-bloods too. Jongin says he’d never heard of that before, but if Chanyeol is weirdly not mad at Jackson, then maybe-”

“Wait, what?” Baekhyun suddenly sat forward, frowning like he’d only caught the last half of what Kyungsoo had said. “Why are we talking about _him,_ of all people?”

“It’s just-”

“No, don’t even think about that. Chanyeol’s just- he’s trying to be proactive about it. He doesn’t want to rip the guy’s eyes out and feed it back to him like _I_ do, but he’s not stopped talking about whipping his ass on the soccer field.” Baekhyun shook his head to dismiss Kyungsoo’s question. “It’s weird, yeah, but that’s just Chanyeol. Don’t waste your brain cells thinking about that guy.”

“O-okay.” Kyungsoo noticed Baekhyun’s refusal to even say Jackson’s name, and wondered whether the other singer’s perspective of Chanyeol’s state was entirely accurate. The irritated reaction, too, had been a surprise, but Baekhyun had gone through a lot that day and maybe Kyungsoo should have just left it.

The first-year began pondering whether he should apologise or just remain quiet when his phone piped up from his pocket. The electronic ringing continued as Kyungsoo grabbed the device from his coat, assuming the call would be from Jongin. However, it was not.

 _‘Hyunsik’_ projected across the screen in block letters as he stared down at it. He had no clue what Hyunsik had to say to him, or if he’d even want to hear it. The fact the other first-year had used him just to have some leverage over Jongin was repulsive, not to mention how he’d tried to bite Kyungsoo just like Jackson. If Jongin hadn’t been there to stop it, Kyungsoo might’ve become a half-blood himself.

“For God’s sake, answer the damn phone.” Baekhyun ordered, blindly flinging his arm out and whacking the side of Kyungsoo’s thigh.

It was enough to bring the younger out of his thoughts, and in a split-second decision, he hit the accept button and pressed the phone to his ear before he’d even properly realised.

_“Kyungsoo? Oh thank God you picked up, you need to be careful, okay? ...Kyungsoo?”_

“What do you want, Hyunsik?” He hoped his voice was as cold and unimpressed as he'd been trying to make it, and Baekhyun’s surprised side-glance was a fairly good indication it was.

_“Listen, I heard about Chanyeol, and I'm so sorry, Kyungsoo. I had no idea Jackson was going to do that, or that he was the one who attacked you last Monday.”_

“Oh really? Funny that, because he did it in the name of _your_ clan, so.”

_“Shit- I… I know I shouldn't, I know Jongin’s claimed you as his, but I had to warn you.”_

“Warn me about what exactly? What could _possibly_ be more dangerous than your clanmate trying to kill me? Or what, is Jackson coming back for a third try?” By now, Kyungsoo noticed his voice rise in volume. He was _pissed,_ and Baekhyun was staring at him slack-jawed as he chewed out the newly turned vampire on the other end of the line.

_“The Court aren't as great as you think, and my clan would know, okay? You need to be careful, they're watching and-”_

“You're going to use some ‘1984’ scare tactic on me to try and make me weary of aligned clans? Really?” Kyungsoo was almost yelling but he didn't care. It felt good to get out his feelings, to finally push back. “How can I trust you? You lied to me! Our whole friendship was just a cover for you to get to a member of the Kim Clan.”

 _“Is that really what you fuckin’ think?”_ This time, Hyunsik sounded just as annoyed, and the idea that the science major thought he had the right to be angry only further ticked the human off. Hyunsik wasn't the one who'd been lied to and left in the dark, nor was he one who’d been tracked down multiple times only for one of his best friends to be turned into a half-blood. How dare he have the audacity to act like _he'd_ been wronged.

“Yeah, that’s exactly how it looks from where I'm standing.”

Kyungsoo ended the call immediately, momentarily wishing he still had a flip phone so he could have had the satisfaction of slamming it closed. He huffed as he turned back to his best friend, trying to calm himself down with deep breaths. Baekhyun quickly leant over and squeezed Kyungsoo’s shoulder, a wicked smile on his face.

“Damn I raised you right,” he said. “You're a total badass now.”

The self-congratulating expression on Baekhyun's face -- as if it were him who had toughened Kyungsoo up, and not the sudden introduction into the vampire world that had done it -- was priceless. The first-year burst into laughter at the sight, and the older joined in too. Soon Kyungsoo felt all the pent-up rage dissipate, like sand being washed away by the tide.

As their chuckles died out, Kyungsoo raised his chin to look heavenward. The sky was a deep, rich blue beginning to glitter with a few specks of silver, blushing a royal purple only at the very edge of the horizon.

The cool breeze blowing over the lapping lake turned frigid, and Kyungsoo could feel the sudden drop in temperature approaching. He looked back over to Baekhyun, who also seemed immersed in the scenery, and gazed upon his serene face. The older had thin laugh lines next to his mouth, and a determined glint in his eyes. He no longer looked lost or empty, and Kyungsoo thought that maybe everything would be okay -- maybe he could finally stop blaming himself.

“Come on, let's get you back to Chanyeol.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, halfway already! Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this less action-filled chapter.  
> Have a lovely day!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Half a year later, hi, how you been :/  
> Ngl I had this virtually done ages ago but totally forgot about this fic since I've been working on some fests, whoopsies. But, just in case you were worrying, no this won't be discontinued, ever. I'm finishing this fic if it's the last thing I do!

The engine purred as the car loped down the empty street, and Kyungsoo rested his head against the window in an effort to soak up as much of the warm afternoon sunlight as possible.

“So, how come we went to the cinema when you have a perfectly functional home theatre at your place?”

“What do you mean?” Jongin spoke somewhat distractedly as he turned down another residential street. “I really wanted to see ‘Endolution’ and it won’t be out on DVD for ages.” He spared a glance at Kyungsoo with an amused grin, turning the heating up on the human’s seat as he went. “Besides, I don’t have a popcorn machine at home.”

Kyungsoo had to admit his boyfriend had a point there: snacks and drinks were half the fun of watching a movie.

“Well, thank you for taking me, I enjoyed it,” Kyungsoo said, closing his eyes as the sun emerged from behind a row of trees. “Even though I don’t usually go for sci-fi.”

“I told you you’d like it. No-one can resist twelve handsome aliens who come to Earth to save humans from themselves.”

A scoff escaped Kyungsoo’s throat involuntarily, and the human peeked open an eye to glance at the vampire. He lifted his arm in mock warning. “Don’t make me slap you while you’re driving. And FYI, nobody uses DVDs anymore.”

“Uh-uh.” Jongin grabbed Kyungsoo’s hand and threaded their fingers together, all the while bringing them up to his mouth where he placed a wet smooch on the porcelain skin. “They were  _ just _ invented. They’re definitely modern.”

Kyungsoo shook his head exasperatedly, and wormed his hand out of the other’s grip with a smile that betrayed his good mood. “Ew, hands on the wheel. Ten-and-two!”

The jovial conversation continued as the sun reached its peak in the sky. The direct light abandoned Kyungsoo’s window, leaving a slight chill to the glass and a blue hue to the lazy Sunday surroundings. Jongin turned another corner as he quoted a scene from the movie, only to have his impersonation cut-short by the sight of a figure sitting still in the middle of the street. Jongin’s body went rigid as he stomped on the brake, and an arm shot out across Kyungsoo’s chest to stop him from jerking forward, even though he was wearing a seatbelt.

As the car skidded to a stop on the otherwise empty road, the person stood and jogged towards the passenger’s side of the car. Kyungsoo felt his blood run cold and he gasped as the figure drew closer.

“J-Jackson?”

He was dressed in a dark grey hoodie and faded jeans. The outfit itself was innocuous enough, but Kyungsoo knew by now that looks were almost always deceiving. He heard a tap come from the steering wheel, followed by the clicking of the car doors locking. Jongin removed his arm from in front of Kyungsoo and leant down to watch Jackson approach.

“What the- What is he doing here?”

Jackson came up to Kyungsoo’s door and the human let out an involuntary whimper as he inched as far away from the window as possible. The vampire didn’t try to open the door, though, and he looked almost confused as he splayed his hands on the thin sheet of glass that separated them.

“You have to make them take it back,” he said, and it was slightly muffled through the door. “Change their minds, tell them I didn’t hurt you.”

Kyungsoo didn’t breathe, didn’t dare even blink in fear that if he did Jackson would pounce. He heard rather than saw as Jongin unbuckled his seatbelt, and felt a tight squeeze to his shoulder.

“Don’t get out of the car.”

When Kyungsoo finally blinked, Jongin’s nearby warmth was gone and he could see his boyfriend in front of the hood, circling around to the other vampire. Jackson started backing up when he noticed the Kim clan member just teleported but continued running his mouth all the same. Kyungsoo couldn’t hear what they were initially saying, but the discussion seemed to get steadily more heated: Jongin’s face was hard and Jackson’s complexion was getting more and more red as he got worked up. When the yelling started, Kyungsoo easily picked up the words they flung at each other.

“Where am I supposed to go now?” Jackson shouted, shoving the aligned vampire harshly in the shoulder. “I barely even fucking touched him!”

“How the hell is that my problem? And yes you bloody did -- he almost bled out!” Jongin invaded Jackson’s personal space once he cornered him by the gutter of the road. He jabbed a finger at the rogue’s chest and Kyungsoo squinted and pressed his face against the glass to get a better look. He’d never seen Jongin so angry before. “And what about Chanyeol, huh? You deserve to be skinned alive just for what you did to him.”

Jackson slapped the hand away. “I told you it was a  _ fucking _ misunderstanding! What was I supposed to think when you started recruiting humans? You already hated us just for being rogues, on top of the fact that Tao came back-”

“Shut up!” Jongin’s fist shot forward like a canon, and Jackson fell back on the sidewalk with a hand to his nose. “Don’t you see what you’ve done? It’s irreversible! You’ve ruined people’s  _ lives.” _

Jongin grabbed his collar roughly and dragged the rogue back up with one hand, the other pulled back and ready to strike again.

“The half-blood!” Another punch to the nose.

“The feeder!” A hit that landed solidly on Jackson’s jaw.

“And Kyungsoo!”

Kyungsoo wasn’t looking as the last smack echoed through the street, already turning to struggle with his restrictive belt. Once that was off, he flipped the lock on his door and dashed out of the vehicle. He sprinted to the side of the road, now seeing the two struggling for dominance in the fight. Jongin was still standing over Jackson, who was seated on his ass on the concrete, but blocking any incoming hits.

“Oh my god! Jongin, stop!” Kyungsoo’s voice sounded a degree removed from himself. He grabbed onto Jongin’s arm mid-swing.

“Kyungsoo?” The aligned vampire whirled around to face him. Kyungsoo saw a gash on his cheekbone though he hadn’t seen Jackson get a punch in. “But, you know what he’s-”

“Just stop it!” Kyungsoo heard the waver in his tone and felt the lump in his throat. There was a destructive hearth in Jongin’s all-black eyes and Kyungsoo didn’t know how far he’d go. Jongin was usually gentle and forgiving, and the human wouldn’t let him surrender himself to revenge. “It doesn’t matter now, it’s done. Just leave him.”

The limb went limp in Kyungsoo’s hold and Jongin slowly turned back to Jackson, the rogue heaving deep breaths and sitting with his face already bruising and lip split. The collar of the hoodie was finally released and the vampire slumped on the ground.

Jackson spat a dribble of blood into the gutter, wiping his mouth with his hand and wincing in pain afterwards. He leveled a stare at Jongin. “Well, I’m not going to say I’m sorry.”

Jongin lurched forward but Kyungsoo pulled him back before the two could go at it again. He turned to Kyungsoo with his eyes still black pits, but the pucker in his brow was apologetic, like he wished he could control himself better. Kyungsoo dropped his grip around Jongin’s arm to instead clutch his hand, and he gave it an encouraging squeeze.

“He’s not worth it,” he whispered, and the darkness dissipated from Jongin’s eyes like storm clouds being blown away by a spring breeze, the rich brown coming into focus soon after. “Let’s go.”

Oddly enough, or maybe just in an uncharacteristic display of intelligence, Jackson chose to keep his mouth shut as Kyungsoo led Jongin back to his car on shaky legs. The pair took a minute to calm down within the vehicle before Jongin started the engine and they slowly continued down the street, not even glancing back to see if the other vampire was still there.

The drive was quiet save for Jongin’s deep breathing, and Kyungsoo could see the way his fingers were straining the leather of the steering wheel. He didn’t know what to say, or if he should even say anything at all. Maybe it would be best to leave it all behind, to just try and forget about Jackson altogether.

“I’m sorry,” Jongin eventually said, when there was a handful of streets between them and where they’d left the rogue. “I’ll be better.”

“Me too.” Kyungsoo kept his gaze focused out on the passing picket fences and trim lawns.

“You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But I would have, had I not been absolutely terrified of him,” the human said. He took a deep breath and turned to Jongin, watching his side profile intently. “What did he want? He sounded crazed.”

Jongin licked his lips and glanced at the side mirror. “He wanted us to talk to the rest of the C-Clan and tell them he didn’t do anything wrong.”

“What? Why-”

“They kicked him out of the clan.”

“Oh.” He wouldn’t say aloud that he was happy to hear it, but he  _ was _ kind of pleased. It was satisfying to know Jackson had gotten some karma. Maybe that meant the rest of the C-Clan weren’t so bad. Maybe  _ Hyunsik _ wasn’t so bad… Or maybe the C-Clan had just ditched Jackson because he’d started a war between the two clans that the rogues knew they couldn’t win.

He was now curious about what happened to vampires that weren’t part of any clan. He hadn’t heard about any thus far, except Sehun’s friend Luhan that he knew nothing about, and maybe that was for good reason. Maybe that was why Jackson was so desperate to be taken back.

Just when Kyungsoo decided his thoughts were circulating too fast to be considered productive, he was startled out of his reverie by the sound of rushing water echoing through the cabin of the car. Before he could even ask what the noise was, Jongin was offering an explanation.

“That’s my ringtone for Junmyeon, would you mind checking it?” Jongin glanced over with an appreciative look while Kyungsoo tried to locate where the phone was. “Yeah, it’s in the glove compartment. Sorry, he only calls when it’s really important.”

Kyungsoo waved a hand and said it was fine as he unlocked the device. It was a text. The human bit the inside of his cheek as he read over it.

“Uh, it says  _ ‘urgent, come home asap, family meeting.’ _ Sounds important, alright.” His sentence was punctuated by Jongin making a sharp left at the next street, and he almost lost his grip on the phone as the inertia pressed him against the door.

Jongin immediately apologised for the lack of warning. “I guess there’s a change in plans. I’ll drop you off at the dorms later, we can’t keep Junmyeon waiting.”

“...We?”

“Well, yeah.” The vampire looked somewhat sheepish for a moment, as he raked his teeth over his bottom lip. “When he says ‘family meeting’ it’s always about vampire-related stuff, and since you get a free pass to know everything, you might as well hear it straight out of the horse’s mouth.” Another side glance. “Besides, if it’s bad news, I want you nearby. For safety reasons.”

It wasn’t until the pair had arrived at the Kim’s residence that Kyungsoo realised how out-of-place and nervous he felt. The human had never really had direct contact with Junmyeon before, but he had an inkling the clan leader didn’t like him, considering how much trouble he had caused by falling for an off-limits vampire. What was worse though, was that  _ Sehun _ would be there, seeing as it was a whole “family” meeting. Whereas with Junmyeon it was just a hunch, Kyungsoo downright  _ knew _ Sehun resented him.

The two entered the building and Jongin quickly led them up the central marble staircase to the second floor, distant voices already audible, though words unintelligible. He gripped Kyungsoo’s hand tight as they passed by Junmyeon’s office, and the first-year gave it a subconscious squeeze as the frosted glass doors leading to the dining room opened up.

The first thing Kyungsoo noticed was Seulgi as she stood behind a chair, gripping its timber backing tight enough to turn her knuckles white. The usual calculated and teasing smirk she sported was absent, instead replaced by a chiseled frown cast in shadow. She growled something at Junmyeon, but the clan leader didn’t reciprocate the anger, opting to just stand at the head of the table and rub a hand over his face with a sigh. To the right was Krystal and Jongdae as they sat next to each other. Krystal had her head down over the tabletop and Jongdae leaned close to her with an arm over her shoulders, obscuring Kyungsoo’s view of her face so he couldn’t tell if she was upset or injured.

“Jongin,” Junmyeon announced the presence when he noticed the couple, and Krystal lifted her head at the sound.

And at last Kyungsoo realised the most important thing: Sehun was, in fact, nowhere in sight.

Her face was red and blotchy and her eyes watered as she called out to his boyfriend. Jongin was immediately kneeling by her side, and he slid his hand down her arm as he scanned his gaze over her body. “Krystal, what happened?”

“H-he’s-” A sob wracked her body, and for a moment everyone quietly watched her bawl before she composed herself enough to talk again. “He’s  _ gone.” _

Kyungsoo moved to take a step forward -- with no particular direction in mind, just to no longer be hovering by the door uncomfortably -- but was straight away pinned down by Junmyeon’s heavy stare. The human didn’t know what the look meant, since the clan leader wasn’t exactly glaring, but he felt unwanted all the same. 

Seulgi, however, looked between Jongin and Kyungsoo equally as she spoke with a low tone. “Sehun’s pulled a Tao.”

Tao: the former Kim Clan member who, rather scandalously, left the Kims to join the C-Clan. Kyungsoo was curious what other rival clan Sehun must have joined. Seeing as how snobbish and elitist Sehun always seemed, the human assumed it was another -- possibly even  _ more _ prestigious -- aligned clan.

“What, he left without Krystal? That’s impossible, he would never!” Jongin rose and he looked to Junmyeon, most likely for confirmation, but the clan leader’s gaze was stuck to the floor.

“Read the letter he wrote Krystal,” said Jongdae, momentarily motioning to the crumpled piece of paper on the mahogany table in front of them before wrapping his arms around the vampiress again.

Jongin raised the note to his face. Kyungsoo held his breath as he watched Jongin’s eyes scan back and forth at lightning speed along the lines of text. When the law major was finished he lifted his head to look to Seulgi, Kyungsoo, then back to Krystal with innocently disbelieving eyes.

“But he would… never...”

“Well, he did!” Seulgi slammed a hand on the table, the noise loud enough that even Krystal momentarily stopped her weeping and looked up at the other woman. “We don’t know how Luhan tricked him into joining the C-Clan, but he did. The question is, what are we gonna do about it?”

Silence hovered in the air as everyone remained frozen, but Kyungsoo was still from shock, not speechlessness. Sehun had joined the C-Clan, the rogue group that clashed with the Kim Clan most…? From what Kyungsoo had heard of Luhan, he was clan-less. He wondered if that had been a lie he’d told the male twin or if Sehun had known all along.

Plus, the human didn’t know how Tao fit into any of it, yet he still seemed important somehow. The shadow he left over the Kims was so dark and dense it almost felt tangible, like a piece of him still sat at the dining table with them as they ate breakfast.

“Nothing, we do nothing.” Junmyeon’s voice was quiet but definite. He took turns giving every member of the clan a steely look before continuing. “He has to stick to his decisions and so do we.”

“No way-! We can’t let them keep taking our family!” Seulgi violently shoved the closest chair away from her body, the wooden feet almost tripping on the rough carpet of the rug underneath, but straightening back up after only a moment’s hesitation. She flung her hand in the direction of the vampire sitting in front of her. Her face was flushed with anger. “You too, Jongdae?! You’re willing to give up on them, just like that?”

Jongdae looked down and away with his fringe covering his eyes. Nothing in his appearance was as bright and lively as it usually was, and even his dark blue hoodie looked grey in the lighting. “A war between our clans would bring a lot of attention from the Court, and we can’t afford that. Not now, at least.”

Seulgi huffed a deep breath, and Kyungsoo’s heart almost broke at the sight of her. Her closed-off expression told of betrayal, as she stared down at the other vampires all congregated on the opposite side of the table. There was something in her eyes that reminded Kyungsoo of when he’d finally had the rug pulled from beneath him all those weeks ago -- mimicking that feeling of hopelessness when he’d seen his friends swallowed into the vampire world alongside him.

And just like then, there was nothing he could say to fix it now.

“We can’t sacrifice the wellbeing of the people here over people who don’t want to stay,” Junmyeon said slowly, walking over to Seulgi and winding his arm around her shoulders in a display shockingly sincere given the person doing it. “We have more members of our family now. Chanyeol, Baekhyun…” The clan leader’s eye caught Kyungsoo’s, and the human wasn’t sure if he was imagining the small, sad smile on the vampire’s face or not. “And Kyungsoo. We have to protect  _ them _ now, not Tao or Sehun. We need to let those two go.”

Krystal burst into another round of tears, and both Jongin and Jongdae gripped her harder. Seulgi bowed her head as she too swallowed back her emotions. Junmyeon, still looking at Kyungsoo, beckoned him over with a wave of his arm.

It took the human a moment to get over the shock of what had happened in the past thirty seconds, but he took tentative steps towards where both Seulgi and Junmyeon stood in a sort of side-hug. He felt like he was encroaching on a private matter between these people who had known each other for decades, at least, and who were as close as any immortals could be. It seemed like the closure they had needed for a long time, and he feared he was trespassing.

When he got within arms’ reach of the two vampires, Seulgi roughly grabbed him by the upper arm and dragged him into an embrace with a low  _ “come here, kid”. _ After a few seconds, he felt Junmyeon’s other arm rest against his back, solidifying the group hug. It was kind of awkward, as Kyungsoo wrapped his arms around the Kims as well, having his cheek mushed against the crown of Seulgi’s head with nothing to look at other than Junmyeon’s quiet face, his eyes closed still with a bittersweet smile.

Having seen the way Junmyeon handled things, hearing what he had to say about Tao and Sehun, in order to bring Seulgi back from a breakdown… Kyungsoo could see the power he held as the head of the clan. The sincerity in his words was rooted deep in thoughts he’d had for a long time, Kyungsoo would wager. Maybe Junmyeon felt their absence just as much, if not more than, the others. Maybe he did what Kyungsoo did, and blamed himself, but just didn’t show it in front of others often. The human had no real idea. All he  _ did _ know was that Junmyeon referring to Chanyeol and Baekhyun -- the two people Kyungsoo was closest with, the closest thing  _ Kyungsoo _ had to family -- as the Kim’s family as well, meant the world.

If Kyungsoo raised his head he could see the similar group hug taking place on the other side of the table. Krystal was still crying, her face pressed into Jongdae’s neck as he clung onto her tightly. Jongin, too, hugged her from the other side, his head rested gently on her shoulder. His eyes were open and his gaze locked with Kyungsoo’s. Jongin gave him a soft smile loaded with emotions: there was worry, sadness and disappointment, but there was also hope, loyalty, and a lot of love mixed in too. Seeing Jongin smile despite the cut that still split the apple of his cheek was enough to have Kyungsoo beaming back.

 

_ ~Wild Flowers Worth Knowing~ _

 

The apartment building must have had a receptionist or some kind of administrative body that used to sit behind a desk, before it was renovated. It had been turned into a small bar now, Kyungsoo noticed as he made his way back out of the Kim’s home. There were unlabelled glass decanters filled with ambers and russets in a case behind the bar and the college student couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he passed the marble counter on the way to the doors, not even surprised considering the Kim’s love for anything remotely luxurious. He ended up leaving feeling a little more comfortable in the place than when he’d entered.

Junmyeon had been right, they all had to look out for each other now, but it didn’t mean that the vampires didn’t need their own time to get over the loss of a clanmate. He had left at the first sign he was imposing, when Krystal had begun hugging Sehun’s note to her chest and wailing, and declined Jongin’s offer of a lift back to his dorm. It was a nice day, even if a bit too cold for Kyungsoo’s preference.

His hands were shoved into the pockets of his jacket, and his shoulders unconsciously raised to protect his exposed neck. Opaque clouds dissolved in the air each time he breathed. The chill numbing the tip of his nose warned of an impending sneeze.

“Oh, Kyungsoo?”

He turned his head away from the two-storey  _ mansion _ of a house he’d been ogling on his way passed, only to be met with a familiar woman. The cutest little red shiba inu sniffed at the grass on the nature strip beside them both, until the lecturer tugged a little on the leash.

“Irene? I didn’t know you lived near here. Is this your dog?”

Her name was Yuki and Kyungsoo was graciously allowed to pet her. She seemed very well-mannered and the musical student fell in love instantly.

“It’s almost odd seeing you without either Baekhyun or your boyfriend.” Irene spoke casually as Kyungsoo squatted on the ground, before quickly placing a hand over her mouth. “Is it wrong of me to assume you two are dating? It’s just, you mentioned you have a boyfriend at the carnival, and I see you with a tall law student around campus sometimes…”

“No, no, you’re fine.” Kyungsoo made sure to smile up at her to appease her nerves. It wasn’t unusual for her to get flustered during class if asked a sudden question and he didn’t want her uncomfortable now. “I was with him and his family just now, actually.”

Yuki licked his offered fingers and placed her fore paws on his thighs. Her tail wagged incessantly and Kyungsoo’s heart was filled with joy at the sight.

“Meeting the family can be a big deal. Congratulations.” For Kyungsoo it had meant taking two K9’s to the jugular. Big deal was an understatement. “While I have you though, is Baekhyun okay?”

The vigorous head-scratches slowed as Kyungsoo looked up her. He knew Baekhyun hadn’t been having the easiest transition, but he had no idea he’d missed class. Let alone been absent enough for his teachers to notice.

“I know it’s not my place to ask, but if he’s unwell I can give him some extensions.” Irene wound the lax leash around her hand in an almost nervous way, her head tilted to the side. “We’re heading into exam season and I don’t want him being behind on work.”

“I… don’t know actually. But I’ll pass it on.”

A few pats later, and Kyungsoo was saying goodbye to the teacher and playful pup, back to trudging through the cold on his way to campus. He whipped out his phone, made curious by Irene’s question. He shot off a quick text to Baekhyun, asking what he was doing, not even bothering to put his phone away after. Baek always answered straight away, no matter where he was. It was a little concerning, like that one time Kyungsoo had gotten a reply when he knew the second-year was in the middle of a test, but it usually came in handy.

_ ‘@ home, tired’ _ was the message that greeted him when his phone vibrated against his palm. He decided to take a short detour on his way back.

He was praising the heating system as soon as he entered the dormitory, bypassing his level to go straight to Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s. He stood before the door, ready to knock, only to have it open right in front of him.

Minseok gasped in surprise when he noticed Kyungsoo’s presence on the other side, but his shocked expression was soon replaced with a grin as he held a hand over his heart. “Jesus, don’t lurk behind doors like that, Do.”

The third year had a thick coat and hoodie over his navy blue jumper, plus gloves and a scarf. He always had felt the cold more than anyone else.

“Listen,” said Minseok, after the initial greetings and small-talk had been exchanged. He closed the door behind him and spoke softly. “Between you and me, I think there’s something going on.”

Kyungsoo did his best to act normal, but his heart rate picked up and his hands started sweating. Whatever it was Minseok had discovered, Kyungsoo was probably going to have to lie about -- and Kyungsoo was a  _ terrible _ liar. He eyed the dorm door behind the older while silently praying for Baekhyun to come out and save him.

“Oh? What…what kind of thing?”

“First Park is sick for a while, and Byun’s acting like he barely even knows the guy. Now Baekhyun’s coming down with something meanwhile Chanyeol’s nowhere in sight.” Minseok leaned in a little closer. “Do you know if they’re… okay?”

It felt weird to Kyungsoo, how Minseok wasn’t already in the know about everything anymore, and it felt even worse knowing he couldn’t fill him in. In the weeks proceeding Chanyeol’s turn -- also known as the period of time when the first year had been sort of avoiding Baekhyun and Chanyeol like the plague -- he’d practically been glued to Minseok’s side. The third year had seemed fine with it at the time, seeing as he’d known that Chanyeol was sick. But since Baekhyun had accepted the position of being Chanyeol’s feeder, Kyungsoo’s time had been split between visiting those two, spending time with Jongin, and getting his schoolwork done. It sucked how much distance was created between him and Minseok in the span of a couple of weeks.

“They’re fine...” Minseok squinted when Kyungsoo’s voice broke. “...I think.” He took in a deep breath and tried again. “I think Chanyeol’s focussing on all the stuff he missed when he was sick, so he’s just busier than usual. That’s all.”

If he was acting suspiciously, Minseok didn’t mention it, but he did cross his arms over his chest and continue to narrow his eyes. “Right… So, since when have Chanyeol and Jongin been so close? And how come you’ve never tried to introduce us?”

Kyungsoo frowned, he had no idea how Minseok would know that Jongin and Chanyeol even…  _ oh. Soccer. _ They mustn’t even be trying to hide their new friendship. The musical student wondered how that worked… Did Minseok try to talk to them, only to have Jongin return to his distant-mode? And if Jongin openly speaks to Chanyeol, does that mean Jongdae does too..? He’d have to ask one of them about it later, he supposed. Either way, it was making this conversation unnecessarily difficult.

“Ah, no, I didn’t really introduce them. They became close on their own.” Kyungsoo nodded as he shuffled on his feet, suddenly remembering the bag in his hand. “Anyway, I should really get this to Baek.”

He lifted the paper bag with the logo for the local fried chicken shop. Minseok looked thoughtful but didn’t voice any of his suspicions. He gave a quick goodbye before striding down the corridor, stuffing his hands further into his pockets as he went. Kyungsoo watched him until he turned to the staircase and out of sight. He couldn’t help but feel bad.

Two knocks, and Kyungsoo didn’t bother to wait for a response before heading inside the dorm in front of him. The main light of the room was off, though the blinds were open. The weather outside was pretty muggy though, as Kyungsoo knew well, so the space remained fairly dark. A lump on the closer bed (the two singles had been pushed apart at some point, Kyungsoo noticed with a twinge of disappointment) wriggled and a half-hearted groan escaped from between the sheets.

“C’mon, sleepy head,” Kyungsoo said as he flicked on the main switch, his eyes quickly adjusting to the sudden light. “Don’t tell me you were this bad for Minseok, too.”

Another, more aggressive groan. Kyungsoo went to close the blinds before sitting on the side of Baekhyun’s bed, hoping the older would be able to smell the food. He peeled back the covers, only to be met with a pallid version of his best friend.

“You don’t want fried chicken..?” Kyungsoo swung the bag within his eyesight as a way to coax him, trying not to be obvious about how startling he’d found Baekhyun’s complexion to be.

A deep sigh, and Baekhyun forced himself up, blinking bleary eyes at the younger. His hair had been re-dyed a dark brown about a week earlier and it was completely messed atop his head. He had bruise-coloured rings under his eyes but at least his lips were still a healthy hue.

“Give it here,” Baekhyun croaked, his voice deep and gravely like he hadn’t used it in a while. Kyungsoo really wondered if the second-year had even spoken to Minseok when he was there, but he handed the bag over and watched quietly for a moment as Baekhyun sifted through it.

“How are you?” Kyungsoo tilted his head as he watched Baekhyun scoff. The older singer tore a strip of meat off a drumstick.

_ “Drained.” _ The tone was sarcastic, like he was mocking Kyungsoo for even asking. He had a small smirk as he said it though, and the younger knew he was just messing around. “Like I’ll only accept guests if they bring me a meal or a good load of gossip.”

Baekhyun leaned over the bag while he took a big bite directly off the bone, and the angle showed the white bandage low on his neck, where it met his shoulder. There was no blood stain on it, but Kyungsoo still knew that had to be where Chanyeol fed off him.

Baekhyun had accepted being Chanyeol’s feeder a few weeks earlier, and Kyungsoo had come by to make sure he was okay afterwards a few times, especially earlier on. Chanyeol usually left straight away, with Seulgi on his heels, seeing as he was new to the whole thing and no-one wanted any bloodlust-related accidents occurring. Even so, though, Kyungsoo had never actually  _ watched _ it happen, that was left to whichever of the Kims was babysitting. The thought of it was weird and way too gross for Kyungsoo to linger on it for long. Watching Chanyeol be bitten and killed by Jackson before his eyes had been bad enough. There was no way he was voluntarily going to witness Baekhyun go through it, even if they used anaesthetic wipes to reduce the pain.

Kyungsoo’s gaze stayed glued to the bandage as he spoke. “How long ago did you…”

“This morning.” Baekhyun’s voice was calm and bored, like it used to be whenever Kyungsoo would pester him for tips on projects the older had done the year before, back in highschool. Those days felt way too distant now, considering how recent they still were. “Not gonna lie, it’s more exhausting than I thought. I’m always hungry but I’m too lethargic to get any food.”

“That’s why I’m here.” Kyungsoo tried to sound peppy, but the following silence gave the sweet words a sickening echo. He cleared his throat and got up to get Baekhyun a proper plate, seeing as he was unapologetically eating in bed.

When he settled back besides his best friend on the bed, stealing a chicken wing for himself, Baekhyun slouched into his side with a sigh.

“I miss him,” he said, playing with a naked leg bone. “Everything’s  _ half-blood _ this and  _ the Court _ that. I miss the times when we’d watch trashy rom-coms together while doing our assignments.”

Kyungsoo would have to be blind to not have seen the distance this whole thing forced between his two friends. Minseok had been spot-on with his observations about them, and he didn’t even know the half of it. It was plain to see how much tension there was now. The worst part was, Kyungsoo had no idea what to do about it. He couldn’t imagine how he’d feel if Jongin had to feed off him regularly, let alone what he could do to make it better for Baekhyun and Chanyeol. He brought food for Baekhyun regularly, seeing as his appetite had increased, and he made sure to have non-vampire-related chats with Chanyeol, knowing that the IT student just wanted to be treated like a normal person. But none of that helped get their relationship with each other back to where it was.

When Kyungsoo had vented about it to Jongin, he’d said it wasn’t really anyone else’s responsibility, and while they all wanted to help, it was something only the two of them could work out together in time. He’d then had to buy them both ice cream, seeing as his response had only put Kyungsoo in a worse mood. The first-year wouldn’t accept that it was out of his hands, especially seeing as it was his fault in the first place that Chanyeol had been turned.

Just thinking about it made Kyungsoo’s blood boil in frustration.  _ Curse _ Jackson, and  _ curse _ the whole stupid situation.

“What about you, though?” Baekhyun poked his knee to get his attention, leaving a dark stain on Kyungsoo’s jeans from the chicken grease. “Give me happy news about you and Jongin.”

The comment brought a private smile to the younger’s face as he fiddled with the napkin he himself was using as a plate. He talked briefly about earlier in the day, when they’d gone to see a movie together. Jongin had picked him up out of the blue, actually, and the surprise date had instantly made Kyungsoo giddy. He hadn’t cared what film they saw, and agreed easily to Jongin’s pick. Of course, the first-year was pretty sure Jongin was only asking for his input out of politeness, seeing as he was so obviously stoked to see that sci-fi flick. Again, he hadn’t minded, especially because Jongin was so enraptured with the movie that Kyungsoo got most of the popcorn. That, and Kyungsoo got to use the classic yawn ruse to wrap his arm around Jongin’s shoulders, which while difficult given the width of the vampire’s shoulders, was something he’d always wanted to do. Jongin’s muffled, almost shy, laugh in response to the move had been just precious, and Kyungsoo had smiled the rest of the way through the film, long after he’d retracted his pins-and-needles-riddled arm.

“I’m happy for you,” Baekhyun said while scarfing another drumstick, “seriously. I back your relationship a hundred percent.”

Kyungsoo specifically left out the part where Jongin had tried to beat Jackson to a pulp, considering Baekhyun froze up or lashed out whenever the rogue ( _ really _ rogue, now) vampire was mentioned. He did explain about Sehun though, and made sure to repeat Junmyeon’s spiel about family as accurately as he could remember, stressing how big of a deal it was. If Baekhyun felt like he was losing a bit of Chanyeol, Kyungsoo was going to make sure he was aware just how much he was also gaining. Baekhyun, fortunately, was on very good terms with his parents and older brother, so family had never really been something he was necessarily lacking. Considering he could never tell them about the vampire world though, it couldn’t hurt to have another family, of sorts. One that really understood.

“Yeah, the Kims are not at all what I expected them to be like. I actually like them.” Baekhyun nicked Kyungsoo’s napkin to wipe the grease from his fingers before he laid back down on his pillow.

Kyungsoo remembered how frequently Baekhyun used to talk about the elusive Kims, like he saw himself as an expert. He’d share all the latest rumours of snobbery and expensive grandeur. At the time, Kyungsoo had been pretty skeptical about the gossip, even before he’d met Jongin. Looking back on it now though, knowing everything he did, all those stories sound ridiculous. The claim that the Kims were distant wasn’t inaccurate, but the reputation of being cold people who only cared about money and themselves was way off. They were some of the best people Kyungsoo knew.

“But, if you think them being around is going to get you off the hook for friend duty, you’re so wrong.” Baekhyun cradled the back of his head with his palms, looking up at Kyungsoo with sly eyes.

“No way.” Kyungsoo scoffed. “The Kims still pale in comparison to our seven-year best friendship.”

“Damn right they do, nothing else matters as long as we’ve got each other.” The second-year settled further into the sheets as Kyungsoo started packing up the mess left on the rest of the bed. “Oi, you remember that time I got you out of a detention by dropping my lunch on Mr Choi’s shoes?”

Kyungsoo threw the greasy napkin at the older’s face. “Yah, I was only gonna get a detention because you broke a window but bolted before anyone saw you! It was only right you get me out of trouble.”

He put the rest of the rubbish in the paper bag, taking both that and Baekhyun’s plate over to the kitchenette counter. Kyungsoo’s phone buzzed in his pocket as the boy in the bed laughed, lightly defending himself from Kyungsoo’s claims.

He got out his phone, seeing an older text he hadn’t noticed from Jongin, saying he hoped Baek was doing okay, and that he wouldn’t be able to get dinner that night like they’d planned. Kyungsoo responded saying he totally understood that Jongin should be with the rest of the clan considering that day they’d had. He then looked at the notification that had made his phone vibrate: an email. When he looked at who it was from he froze -- he’d totally forgotten all about that.

 

_ [ Sender: Immortal Discoveries _

_ Subject: You’ve got a message! _

_ Content: Dear  _ _ asseater69 _ _ , you’ve got a message! _

_ WitchFollowerWhoKnows _ _ : the only protection you have now is never letting them know you know] _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (How come even though kaisoo are together half the chapter, I feel like there's so much more bffs!baeksoo than actual kaisoo here??)  
> Anyway, thank you so much for reading and being patient. The last two chapters haven't exactly been the most action-filled, but the actual plot picks up next chapter, I promise!  
> Also, I increased this from an expected 12 chapters to 13, not because I'm splitting anything, but because I decided to add a different epilogue.  
> Thanks again <3


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